The marquee at Bernie’s Tap & Grill across the street from Wrigley Field was devoted not to any drink specials, but a two-word message of “EXTEND STROMAN.”

With Marcus Stroman and Justin Steele starring atop their starting rotation, the Cubs have had one of the best pitching staffs in the National League in the first half (second-best, per ERA+). Even at 38-42 entering Saturday night, they are a hot week away from being right in the thick of a sluggish NL Central race. By late Sunday afternoon, it should make All-Stars out of both hurlers; honors no Cubs starting pitcher has earned since Jon Lester in 2018.

“He’s been consistent and solid; we talk about him and Steele in the same breath,” said Cubs manager David Ross. “He’s been the horse that we identified, went out and got and paid. He’s earned every bit of that status of being the No. 1, the Opening Day starter and the guy who makes a lot of money to go out there and give us a chance to win consistently. He’s done nothing but do that and be a great teammate.”

But amid a multiyear effort to rebuild a new core after the cornerstones of the 2016 World Series team were largely dealt, the fifth-best run differential in the league is not going enough to shift the long-term focus around the friendly confines. At least, not while Stroman is strutting out from the bullpen as “All About the Benjamins,” blares over the stadium speakers, revving up a rapturous crowd with every step.

As Stroman told the Sun-Times last month, there’s been no movement on the extension front since the start of the season, despite talks in spring training. A Saturday evening report in The Athletic suggested nothing should change about that anytime soon, leaving the possibility of Stroman opting out of the final year of his deal hanging over the final three months of the season.

With that, and Stroman’s return from a blister on his right index finger delayed by rain by almost three hours Saturday, there was plenty of idle time to appreciate what the 32-year-old right-hander has accomplished in a season and a half in Wrigleyville.

Leading all MLB pitchers by Baseball Reference’s wins above replacement metric, a mere 0.04 behind Steele for the ERA lead and a complete game away from overtaking San Francisco’s Logan Webb for the most innings pitched in baseball, Stroman entered Saturday night halfway through building a strong case for Cy Young consideration by season’s end.

But with his future on the North Side cloudy as the skies for most of Saturday, Ross could still point to a potential long-term impact Stroman has already fostered in his tenure.

“He’s created a nice little culture around him within the starters,” said Ross. “The culture of our starters has really grown in the last two years in my opinion and it continues to grow with Kyle [Hendricks], and [Jameson Taillon] and [Drew] Smiley and obviously Steeley and Stro to round that out.

“They’ve done a really nice job of creating high expectations for that group. They’re all in that same boat and Stro’s at the top of that, being that horse.”