Chicago Cubs target is off the board; Imai signs cheapo deal with Houston Astros

The Chicago Cubs must now employ a plan B when it comes to starting pitching as one of their reported top offseason targets has come off the board.

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According to MLB insider Jeff Passan, Japanese starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai has just signed with the Houston Astros.

The reported three-year, $54 million deal (with opt-outs after each season) is a bit surprising when considering that the 27-year-old righty was widely projected to land a 6-7 year contract worth somewhere between $135-$175 million.

Also surprising was the fact that the Astros landed Imai at all, considering that all media reports pointed to the Yankees and the Cubs as the front runners for his services and almost none mentioned Houston.

Frustration as Chicago Cubs fail to land Imai

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Where surprise turns to frustration for Chicago, though, is that the relative bargain price placed Imai well within the budgetary reach of the Cubs. The short-term deal, opt-outs and all, also made him a low-risk acquisition for a front office that has prided itself on being able to sniff out bargain deals for top quality talent.

Imai has been a dominant force for the NPB, pitching for the Saitama Seibu Lions and delivering a 1.92 ERA and 178 strikeouts in 163.2 innings last season. Since 2022, he hasn’t posted an ERA greater than 2.70.

There had been some concerns about the pitcher’s size and slender frame (5-foot-10 or 5-foot-11, 140-154 lbs., depending on the source) and his durability as a full-time starter in major league baseball. For comparison, the Cubs’ Shota Imanaga is listed as 5-foot-11, but weighs about 30 lbs. more.

Doubts and question marks

As recently as December 18, in a piece for The Athletic, insider Patrick Mooney reported that, according to his sources within the Cubs organization, Imai was not actually viewed “as an absolutely must-have pitcher right now.”

Mooney also revealed the following:

“…Evaluators have questions about whether Imai is more of a middle- or back-of-the-rotation starter than a budding ace, and how to value the Japanese pitcher’s first major-league contract in that context.”

But, again, about $18 million per season on a short-term deal for a starting pitcher with front-of-rotation possibilities is a steal in this current market. If the Cubs failed to pull the trigger on this deal, it’s probably because their questions about Imai were closer to raging doubts. One has to wonder as well whether they were ever really as “in” on the Japanese star as reported.

Cubs’ immediate future plans

With Imai off the market, though, the Cubs’ immediate future takes clearer shape.

The need for a high-end starting pitcher is still there. Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Jameson Taillon, and Shota Imanaga make up a solid core and Justin Steele should be back from elbow surgery by mid-season. There’s just not a lot of guaranteed durability there, with all but Boyd spending significant time on the IL last season and Boyd, himself, having a history of injury.

Zac Gallen has been a rumored Cubs target and he just may be the kind of starting pitching workhorse the team needs, despite his less eye-appealing stats. Framber Valdez and Ranger Suarez are still available. There’s also the possibility that the front office could swing a deal for a high-end starter using assets such as Matt Shaw or Moises Ballesteros, especially if they end up signing free agent third baseman Alex Bregman.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-tatsuya-imai-free-agent-houston-astros