When Shota Imanaga accepted the Chicago Cubs' qualifying offer, the instant fear that Cubs fans had was that the money attached to the offer, $22.025 million, would be used as an excuse come spring training when Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins explain why they didn't make a larger addition to their starting rotation. Misevaluating the market is an excuse the Cubs' front office has pointed to in the past, and it is one rival executive is urging the team not to use this offseason.
Polling executives across Major League Baseball, ESPN's Jesse Rogers offers an early look at how the offseason is unfolding. Among the questions that were asked was which team would sign Japanese starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai. Imai recently made headlines for his desire to play for a team that doesn't currently have a Japanese player, but that didn't stop execs from pointing to the Cubs as one of the leading options.
The San Francisco Giants were the leading option, with 5 of the 16 executives polled circling them, but one of the two execs who picked the Cubs said what every fan is thinking: the North Siders still have the money to sign Imai, even after Imanaga's return.
The good news is that there is already a sign that the Cubs aren't going to use Imanaga's money as an excuse. After Imanaga's return, the Cubs inked Phil Maton on a two-year deal that could be worth as much as $15 million. It was a level that Hoyer rarely has gone to in the past for a relief pitcher, and the insinuation is that he will have that same mindset when addressing the team's need for a starting pitcher.
It's also worth mentioning that one of the executives Rogers spoke with believes that the Cubs will sign Dylan Cease. Cease is viewed as one of the best free-agent starting pitchers available this offseason, and signing him would give the Cubs a clear answer at the top of their rotation.
Imai has that projection as well, but there is always a risk with a player who has yet to pitch at the Major League level. It will be interesting to compare the deals between Imai and Cease. Cease, in theory, is positioned to get the larger deal, but given his age, Imai could provide a team with the most value.