The Chicago Cubs made a massive free-agent move this evening, signing star pitcher Marcus Stroman.
Earlier this evening, the only information the MLB world had on the free-agency signing was provided by Stroman himself. But now, some details regarding his contract with Chicago are beginning to emerge.
According to ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan, Stroman signed a three-year, $71 million deal with the Cubs. The deal also includes an opt-out option after his second season.
He’ll reportedly make $25 million in 2022, $25 million in 2023 and $21 million in 2024. The 2022 and 2023 season have $2 million escalators for 160+ innings pitched.
Stroman can essentially make Justin Verlander money (two years, $50 million) in the first two years of the deal and then opt out after the second and hit free agency at 32 years old. With escalators at $2M a year, if he hits 160 IP each year, he’d get $25M in all three seasons.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 2, 2021
Given Stroman’s recent MLB history, these incentives should be fairly easy to reach. This past season with the New York Mets, the eighth-year ace led the all leagues with 33 starts and logged 179.0 innings pitched. He’s also exceeded 160 innings pitched in every season since his third year in 2016.
In 2021, Stroman posted a solid performance with a 3.02 ERA and 158 strikeouts. Now, he’ll bring that talent to Wrigley Field in 2022.
Stroman expressed his excitement in joining the Cubs franchise with a few messages on Twitter earlier this evening.
“Chicago has always been one of my favorite cities. Culture and passion everywhere,” he wrote. “Beyond excited to pitch in front one of the best fan bases in all of sports. Thank you to everyone in the city for the warm welcome. I can feel it. Let’s get to work!
“Wrigley Field is the only big league stadium I haven’t pitched at in my career. Crazy. Can’t wait to call it home!” he added.
From the looks of Stroman’s reaction, the 30-year-old pitcher is more than ready to get after it in a Cubs uniform this coming season.
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