The Chicago Cubs are back in the same spot they were a year ago: staring at a winter defined by pitching needs. This time, though, the problem looks even bigger. More of the rotation is gone, and the bullpen still comes with plenty of unanswered questions.
That makes last winter’s Tatsuya Imai chase worth revisiting. For weeks, the Cubs were tied to the Japanese right-hander, who was 27 at the time and had just posted a 1.92 ERA for the Seibu Lions. Then the Houston Astros stepped in and landed him with a three-year, $54 million guarantee.
The idea was that Imai would fit right in near the top of Houston’s rotation with Hunter Brown. Instead, the season spun off course quickly. Before it was over, he was out of the rotation altogether and rarely earned manager Joe Espada’s trust.
Imai had a rough time adapting to life in the United States, and he said as much late this summer: “It’s been way (more) difficult than I thought,” Imai said late this summer. “Everything is new.
I just have to try out everything step by step, try to figure out how to adapt, how to adjust. For my second year, it won’t be my first year, so I’ll have to adjust well more and start performing with more consistency.”
His deal also included player options for 2027 and 2028. At the time, that detail mostly pointed to the possibility that he could bounce back and test free agency again after a season in the majors. Now, unless he makes a surprise return to Japan, he should be back with the Astros next year trying to deliver much better results.
The final numbers tell the story. Imai threw only 76 2/3 innings and finished with a 4.93 ERA and a 6.0 BB/9 rate. He was better in relief, posting a 2.00 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 18 innings, but Houston still needs him to start.
For the Cubs, the larger picture is even messier. Craig Counsell began this season with Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon and Edward Cabrera lined up in the rotation. Boyd and Imanaga are headed for free agency, Taillon was dumped this summer, Horton is coming back from major elbow surgery and Cabrera was a disaster in his first year in Chicago.
There will be overseas names to watch again this winter, but Imai’s ugly first season is a useful reminder that not every splashy target is a sure thing.
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