On Wednesday, Marcus Stroman and the Chicago Cubs joined forces.
The righty signed a three-year deal worth $71 million with the club, marking the next chapter in his career.
Marcus Stroman signed a three-year, $71 million contract with the Chicago Cubs that includes an opt out after the second season, sources tell ESPN. He’ll make $25 million in 2022, $25 million in 2023 and $21 million in 2024. It includes $2M escalators for 160 IP in ‘22 and ‘23.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 2, 2021
The Cubs are getting a good one in Stroman.
Chicago has a rebuild on its hands, but there’s no better way to speed up the process of winning than to add a guy like this.
Given this development in Stroman’s career, it seems like a good time to rank some of the best seasons the 30-year-old has had so far.
Stroman has seven years of MLB experience under his belt, and today, we’re going to pick his three best campaigns to this point.
3. 2021 Season
Stroman’s most recent season makes the list at No. 3.
The 2021 campaign was a statement year for him.
After he opted out of the pandemic-shortened season in 2020, some fans thought he was going to be rusty in 2021.
But that couldn’t have been further from the case.
He showed no signs of rust and had one of the best seasons of his career.
Marcus Stroman, Filthy 85mph Split Change…and Sword. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/065fMpqfTN
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 6, 2021
Over 33 starts, he posted a 3.02 ERA.
He complemented that mark with a 133 ERA+, 3.49 FIP, and 1.15 FIP.
The one-time All-Star allowed four earned runs or fewer in 32 out of his 33 outings, which speaks volumes about how often he gave his club a chance to win.
He finished the year with a bWAR of 3.6.
2. 2019 Season
The lone All-Star selection of Stroman’s career so far came in 2019.
It was a stellar year for him, and there are plenty of numbers to back up that claim.
He spent time with two teams in this particular season, as he began the year with the Toronto Blue Jays before being traded to the New York Mets.
In total, he made 32 starts, and the results were outstanding.
He maintained a 3.22 ERA, 137 ERA+, and 3.72 FIP.
He finished the season with a bWAR of 4.7, which stands as the second-best mark of his career today.
Stroman’s 2019 season was a huge one for his stock.
His 2018 campaign was brutal, but his bounce-back showing in 2019 got him back on track.
1. 2017 Season
Stroman’s 2017 season takes the top spot on this list.
He accomplished a lot in 2017, and he was rewarded at the end of the season with an eighth-place finish in the AL Cy Young race.
Marcus Stroman finished 8th in Cy Young voting, receiving two 5th-place votes. #BlueJays
— Alex Seixeiro (@AlexSeixeiro) November 15, 2017
The former first-round pick registered an ERA of 3.09 over 33 starts in 2017.
He also posted a 145 ERA+, which was a career-best at the time and remains a career-best today (including qualifying seasons only).
The Duke University product earned a bWAR of 5.2 and FIP of 3.90.
This was the season in which Stroman really established himself as a star.
He had shown flashes of potential prior to the 2017 campaign, but this was when everything started to come together for him at the MLB level.
Wrap-Up
Stroman’s next chapter with the Cubs figures to be a memorable one.
He’s still looking for his first World Series title, and he’d certainly love to get it with Chicago.
As mentioned earlier, the Cubs aren’t in a position to immediately contend, but Stroman’s presence should help speed up the process.
NEXT: Yan Gomes Is A Sneaky Good Addition By The Cubs
