Chicago Cubs Might Get Outbid For Another Japanese Ace Once Again

It's been disappointing for the Chicago Cubs this offseason after failing to land the major star that they thought they were in the market for.

The reality is neither Shohei Ohtani or Yoshinobu Yamamoto considered them, despite the continuous links and hopes from the franchise that they could land one or both.

Starting pitching is still a need for the Cubs and they have been linked to another Japanese ace, Shota Imanaga.

At 30 years old, it was originally thought he would sign for much less than Yamamoto, who eventually inked a $325 million deal. Early projections suggested Imanaga would get around $100 million, but with the New York Mets and New York Yankees both whiffing on the Japanese phenom, the number could increase for Imanaga.

That's the concern for Chicago.

Ideally, they would not like to massively spend for a starting pitcher this offseason with some talented prospects getting ready to be called-up. But as talented as those players might become, it won't help the Cubs achieve their goal of contending in 2024.

Imanaga would.

He's been one of the most consistent starters in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball and is projected to continue that in Major League Baseball.

Other teams like the Mets and Yankees likely know this as well, which is why they could drive the price up in a bidding war that was similar to Yamamoto's.

Now, they probably won't offer Imanaga anywhere close to what they offered Yamamoto, but those two organizations have money to burn and are in the market to add starters this offseason.

There's a good chance that Chicago could find themselves on the losing end of a bidding war for a talented Japanese player once again.