5. Alex Cobb, San Francisco Giants
The Giants are 31-30 on the season, and 5-5 in their last 10 games, entering Thursday. They may not be equipped to make a real run, toward even a Wild Card spot, so they are likely to be a seller.
If not for a rough outing a couple starts ago, Cobb’s numbers would be even better than they are so far this year (2.71 ERA). Take out that outing (seven runs allowed over four innings) and his ERA in his other 11 starts is 1.92. Maintaining his current level may be a challenge though, with a 3.71 FIP entering his Thursday start against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field pointing to some good luck.
Cobb is making $9 million this year, with a $10 million club option ( $2 million buyout) for 2024. So he makes sense as someone the Giants would be open to moving, and the Rangers broadly should be paying attention
4. Marcus Stroman, Chicago Cubs
Stroman is putting together one of the best seasons of his career so far (2.39 ERA, 59.9 percent ground ball rate). He’s also in a contract year, and with the Cubs not looking incredibly competitive as we roll into June he makes sense as someone they would deal.
Stroman has said he’d like to remain a Cub long-term. But age and potential regression are real things to consider moving forward, and the Cubs shouldn’t necessarily be inclined to overpay/over-commit.
For the Rangers, Stroman falling off beyond this year doesn’t have to matter one bit. If he can be good this year, and even if he falls off some his varied pitch arsenal should keep him afloat, that’s all they have to truly care about.