After a frustratingly slow start, Jed Hoyer has finally lit a bit of a fire under the Chicago Cubs’ offseason. The trade for Kyle Tucker was a home run, no matter whether the outfielder decides to sign a long-term deal with the team or not. And while Chicago didn’t get much of any meaningful return for Cody Bellinger, Cody Poteet figures to add valuable bullpen depth, and getting the New York Yankees to take the overwhelming majority of Bellinger’s salary was the real win.
Despite that positive momentum, though, one big box remains unchecked for Hoyer this winter: The Cubs are still in search of a major upgrade to the starting rotation. Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele are a great place to start, and there’s plenty of depth among Jameson Taillon, Javier Assad, Jordan Wicks, Ben Brown, recent signing Matthew Boyd and top prospect Cade Horton. The cupboard is hardly bare here. But if Chicago wants to keep pace with the likes of the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets atop the National League, they’re going to need one more frontline guy — and after a flurry of moves this weekend, it’s become glaringly obvious who that guy will have to be.
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The Cubs had good reason not to one-up the Boston Red Sox for Walker Buehler, who agreed to a one-year deal with the team on Monday afternoon. And you can understand why Hoyer was hesitant to meet the prospect price that the Philadelphia Phillies paid for Jesus Luzardo over the weekend, given Luzardo’s inconsistent command and iffy injury history. But no matter how you feel about any of those decisions individually, what’s inarguably true is that the list of impact starters available via free agency or trade has dwindled to nearly zero.
Corbin Burnes is reportedly considering either the Toronto Blue Jays or the Baltimore Orioles, and the bidding for the former Cy Young winner was always going to be higher than the Cubs were comfortable going anyway. Most of the big trade targets are off the market, unless the Seattle Mariners reverse course on Luis Castillo. That leaves just one name, the most tantalizing of the bunch: 23-year-old Japanese righty Roki Sasaki, who’s begun meeting with teams in person after receiving digital presentations at the Winter Meetings.
Chicago is reportedly one of those teams, which means that Hoyer and Co. have at least gotten a chance to pitch he and his team in detail. And there’s plenty to offer, from a rich and storied tradition to a huge fan base to a competitive roster to a fellow Japanese pitcher in Imanaga. Sasaki’s international amateur free agent status means that he fits squarely within the Ricketts family’s budget, but it also means that just about any other team in the league can make a run at the budding ace as well.
Maybe the Cubs will pull off arguably the coup of the offseason. But the competition for Sasaki will be stiff, and if Chicago loses out, it’s now unclear just where Hoyer will pivot.
