With the 2024 MLB season underway, the Chicago Cubs' brass is already doing their homework on next offseason's crop of free-agent talent. The Cubs were among five teams in attendance to watch Japanese phenom pitcher Roki Sasaki in action on Sunday as the righty reportedly threw a career-high 111 pitches.
The Cubs have maintained a Japanese presence over the last couple of seasons. Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga joined the North Siders upon coming stateside, and both have made meaningful contributions.
With the club's reported interest in Sasaki, Cubs fans are daydreaming about a potential rotation including him, Imanaga, and Justin Steele. Such a lineup of arms could spell trouble for opposing teams for years to come.
While the Cubs scouted Sasaki, it's too early to determine how much they'll prioritize him in their offseason plans. The team also scouted Yoshinobu Yamamoto last season, and the righty eventually signed a mammoth contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers that included figures the Cubs weren't willing to go to.
If Sasaki is viewed as the same or better than Yamamoto, it's hard to envision the Cubs competing with the big spenders based on recent resource allocation patterns.
As the Cubs continue to see their many prospects ascend to the big leagues, Sasaki would blend in nicely at the top of the rotation. If he can translate his talent to MLB, the sky is the limit for his success.
With pitching prospects entering the mix — Ben Brown has already debuted and Cade Horton is knocking on the door — it'll be interesting to see if the Cubs would continue to add to a presumably strong pitching staff for the future.
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