Cubs Hint At More Offseason Moves

One could argue that Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer finally got some Cubs fans off his back with the signing of free-agent pitcher Shota Imanaga.

After all, before the deal, the Cubs had done precious little in free agency.

Hoyer got to show off his new acquisition at the Cubs Convention on Friday, and Imanaga’s personality went over great with the crowd.

But, as Hoyer told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers and other reporters on Friday, the Cubs are not nearly done. And he put their progress in baseball terms.

“We’re in the fourth or fifth inning of our offseason,” Hoyer said.

That could be encouraging to Cubs fans, as baseball insiders hinted earlier this week that the team could still sign “multiple stars.”

Before Imanaga’s signing, it was a frustrating offseason from a Major League perspective. After the tender deadline, the Cubs signed four players to minor league contracts — pitcher Edwin Escobar, catcher Ivan Cespedes, pitcher Alberto Chala and pitcher Jeremy Guzman.

Hoyer and his staff continued with the minor league deals in December. They signed pitchers Colten Brewer, Thomas Pannone and Ethan Roberts, along with catchers Jorge Alfaro and Joe Hudson.

Meanwhile, the Cubs swung and missed on free-agent superstar Shohei Ohtani, who signed a $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cubs’ early overtures to pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto did not get them in the running as finalists for his services and he ultimately signed with the Dodgers for more than $300 million.

Imanaga’s signing is a huge boost, but it’s not the only move the Cubs have made in January. The Cubs also traded pitcher Jackson Ferris and outfielder Zyhir Hope for second baseman Michael Busch and pitcher Yency Almonte.

While Busch was the Dodgers’ No. 2 prospect, Almonte can help the bullpen this season.

The encouraging part for the Cubs is that despite missing out on Ohtani and Yamamoto, there are still big players on the market, foremost of which is their own free-agent outfielder Cody Bellinger. Also unsigned are third baseman Matt Chapman, reigning NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell and top closer Josh Hader.

The game, in Hoyer’s view, is just halfway done.