Cubs reportedly still very active this offseason |
The offseason is more than halfway over. We are closer to Opening Day than we were to the end of the MLB season. A slow-moving offseason has seen some significant acquisitions: Juan Soto was traded to the Yankees, and so was Alex Verdugo. The Dodgers acquired Manuel Margot and Tyler Glasnow via trade and signed Shohei Ohtani to the largest deal in sports history — plus they’ve added Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Teoscar Hernandez. The Braves acquired Jared Kelenic from the Mariners and Chris Sale from the Red Sox. Sonny Gray is now a Cardinal. Jung Hoo Lee signed with San Francisco. Jeimer Candelario is a Cincinnati Red.
Every team had made an addition to their Major League Roster via free agency or trade except the Chicago Cubs and the Miami Marlins. Now that list features just the Marlins. The Cubs finally made a splash on Tuesday by acquiring Shota Imanaga via free agency. Imanaga started the World Baseball Classic Championship for Japan and was a highly sought-after free-agent pitcher. He is a lefty with a very active arm and slots to have an immediate impact in the big leagues from day one. The Cubs signed the 30-year-old to a four-year, 53-million-dollar contract with various complicated escalators that can raise the contract to $80 million depending upon performance and health. Imanaga turned down more money elsewhere to play for Chicago. Then, on Thursday, the Cubs made some noise via trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cubs acquired the Dodgers’ No. 2 prospect, Michael Busch, and reliever Yency Almonte for left-handed starter Jackson Ferris and outfielder Zyhir Hope. Ferris was ranked the Cubs' No. 8 prospect and had big-league potential — but the Cubs jumped to acquire Busch’s bat and a nasty reliever like Almonte, who could be highly effective if the Cubs can hanker down his command issues. Despite the understandable frustration surrounding the fan base due to the lack of moves, many big-name free agents are still in the open market. Former Cub Cody Bellinger highlights a group of position players that includes Matt Chapman, Rhys Hoskins, Jorge Soler, JD Martinez, Justin Turner, and Joc Pederson. The reigning NL Cy Young Award Winner Blake Snell is available, as is starter Jordan Montgomery as well as relievers Josh Hader, Aroldis Chapman, Robert Stephenson and Jordan Hicks. Plus, several players who were rumored to be traded this offseason have not been traded yet. Players like Pete Alonso, Shane Bieber, Josh Naylor, Emmanuel Clase, Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco, and Masataka Yoshida are among the names that highlight this group. Many around the industry believe that the Cubs could find themselves highly active in this later portion of free agency. It has been reported that the Cubs have already issued offers to Bellinger, Hoskins, Montgomery, and Chapman. While it is unknown how deep negotiations are with any of those four players, the Cubs are definitely IN. Other reports indicate that the Cubs could be in on Hader to reunite him with his former manager, Craig Counsell. Even MLB Network said they would not be surprised if the Cubs landed three of the five highly touted free agents. The industry seems to have a unified belief that the Cubs signing Imanaga has opened up their metaphorical floodgates regarding acquisitions for the rest of the offseason. The Cubs Convention is this weekend, and as the offseason continues, the belief is that the Cubs and their fans will have more good news to celebrate in the coming weeks.
