Marcus Stroman shows Cubs just how much he wants a contract extension

Cubs ace Marcus Stroman has made it clear he doesn't want to be traded, and he made it clearer that he wants an extension with a complete-game gem.

With the having dropped precipitously in the NL Central standings, the conversation around the club quickly turned from a resurgent 2023 season to at the forthcoming trade deadline. One name that came up quickly in that discussion was the ace of the pitching staff, Marcus Stroman.

Stroman, for his part, does not want that. The veteran right-hander told that he woudl prefer to sign an extension with the Cubs rather than be traded. That decision, of course, is not entirely in his hands. But what is in his hands is showing Chicago how badly he wants to stay, namely with his performance.

He did that on Memorial Day with a monstrous outing against the MLB-best Tampa Bay Rays.

Stroman had a no-hitter entering the seventh inning before Wander Franco blooped a single to left-center, but that was the only hit that the righty allowed as he tossed a divine complete game shutout, allowing just the one hit along with one walk and one hit-by-pitch on the afternoon, propelling the Cubs to the 1-0 win.