The Chicago Cubs have “no interest” in extending Marcus Stroman's contract after the season, according to Bob Nightengale. The club will pay Stroman $21 million in 2024, the final year of a three-year, $71 million deal, should he choose to opt into the contract.

Stroman is currently sitting out with fractured rib cage cartilage, and the possibility of him missing the remainder of the season looks more real by the day. The nature of Stroman's injury is somewhat mysterious. It's not clear how this happened, and there's no timetable for a return. He's still unable to throw, and he will at least miss a few more weeks.

The Cubs also wonder if Stroman will end up opting out of his contract to hit the free agency market. Of course, Stroman is more likely to opt into his player option for 2024 if he can't return this season. Although he started the year on a high note, his stock has dropped since the All-Star break. Stroman could be looking for close to $30 million per year on his next contract, but he's not going to get that right now. In addition to his recent injury history, the large contract expectations are also why the Cubs are uninterested in extending the 32-year-old.

Through his first 16 starts of the season, Stroman was excellent, posting a 2.28 ERA. That was good enough to earn him his second All-Star appearance. Since July 1, however, Stroman has only one start in which he gave up less than four earned runs. It's not clear what exactly is going on with Stroman right now, but on his best day, he's still a very good starter. The Cubs may be more interested in extending their future with Marcus Stroman if he returns to the club next year and pitches well again.