Who's gaga for Imanaga? - It's the Cubs! Cubs sign Imanaga per Heyman/Nightengale

[We Got The Whole 9]

2 minutes ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

Forgot Wicks.

I knew I forgot someone. Could still see them adding Suter. 

[Transmogrified Tiger]

29 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

I think it could be, if we take Hottovy at his word.

This is likely me just rationalizing and the FO likes the current end of rotation pile better than us, but I kinda wonder if there's an implicit 'net' to his comments.  Like if Assad or Wesneski go out the door for a bat(Alonso?) or a late inning reliever(Scott?), are they more willing to add further?  For my part I don't even need a big name or guaranteed deal, I just would love someone who maybe has a bit more promise than what I currently expect from that group, especially for 2024.

[Cuzi]

Fantastic. I dont care about the depth. The Cubs had depth before Imanaga. The Cubs need another at the top.

[We Got The Whole 9]

5 minutes ago, Cuzi said:

Horton has pitched 27 innings in AA. I'm not holding my breath on Brown. 3 of the names you listed wont block either of them. And all but Steele are not inspiring. It's a list of #3-5 pitchers.

Well I hope you don't believe they will add someone better than Imanaga. It is not happening. 

[Cuzi]

1 minute ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

Well I hope you don't believe they will add someone better than Imanaga. It is not happening. 

I will never give up hope that the Cubs will sign/trade for better players. Sorry not sorry.

Edited January 10, 2024 by Cuzi

[Tim]

Just now, We Got The Whole 9 said:

Well I hope you don't believe they will add someone better than Imanaga. It is not happening. 

It could happen in a trade. Or it could be something like Woodruff if there's budget available at the end of the offseason.

[17 Seconds]

7 minutes ago, Cuzi said:

Fantastic. I dont care about the depth. The Cubs had depth before Imanaga. The Cubs need another at the top.

the discussion was about depth though, not the lack of top end arms

[KCCub]

2 minutes ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

This is likely me just rationalizing and the FO likes the current end of rotation pile better than us, but I kinda wonder if there's an implicit 'net' to his comments.  Like if Assad or Wesneski go out the door for a bat(Alonso?) or a late inning reliever(Scott?), are they more willing to add further?  For my part I don't even need a big name or guaranteed deal, I just would love someone who maybe has a bit more promise than what I currently expect from that group, especially for 2024.

This is the direction I wish they would go. I could also buy into the plan of this rotation getting us to the trade deadline and then going out and swinging a large trade for a controlled arm. 

[Cuzi]

Just now, 17 Seconds said:

the discussion was about depth though, not the lack of top end arms

You quoted me, my discussion has nothing to do with depth.

[SOFNR]

11 minutes ago, KCCub said:

This is the direction I wish they would go. I could also buy into the plan of this rotation getting us to the trade deadline and then going out and swinging a large trade for a controlled arm. 

The idea of waiting around for the deadline to make moves always annoys me. Be proactive. As much as I'm excited to see Wicks in the rotation it's not going to kill him to come out of the bullpen for a bit and be first man up. The Cubs have a deep farm. Something like Steele, Luzardo, Imanaga, Hendricks, Tallion would definitely inspire more confidence. There's no way they are in the running for another FA starter but I hope they're still engaged in the trade market. 

[WhyCantWeWin]

I really hope Imanaga outperforms Yamamoto, aside from helping the team win those Dodgers fan tears would be satisfying after all the money they spent

[KCCub]

1 minute ago, SOFNR said:

The idea of waiting around for the deadline to make moves always annoys me. Be proactive. As much as I'm excited to see Wicks in the rotation it's not going to kill him to come out of the bullpen for a bit and be first man up. The Cubs have a deep farm. Something like Steele, Luzardo, Imanaga, Hendricks, Tallion would definitely inspire more confidence. There's no way they are in the running for another FA starter but I hope they're still engaged in the trade market. 

I also dislike the idea of waiting around for the deadline for immediate needs. However, I don't consider a TORP to pair with Steele an immediate need. They need to add bats and BP help now. The rotation is good enough to give you competitive outings 1-5 and get you to the deadline in contention. But like I said in my original post, I'm fully on board with making a trade now to satisfy a TORP, but I can buy into the idea of not doing that until the trade deadline where players (Cease, etc) will be somewhat cheaper and new names might become available. 

[sneakypower]

Imanaga-na complain about this one!

[chopsx9]

40 minutes ago, WhyCantWeWin said:

I really hope Imanaga outperforms Yamamoto, aside from helping the team win those Dodgers fan tears would be satisfying after all the money they spent

I think the sight of Ohtani will keep those cheeks dry.

[Rob]

2 hours ago, Cuzi said:

I like the signing. The contract has me questioning his health since he went from talking about $100M to 2/30 at a minimum.

I'm guessing the 2/30 "minimum" is actually an awkward middle ground.

Thus far, we've been seeing reports that this thing is structured in a very convoluted way with multiple player and team options. 2/30 is probably what happens if neither side exercises those options, which is a rarity. Typically, we'd expect that he'd either pitch well enough that the team exercises their options, or he's ineffective/injured to the point that the player is exercising their options (which would presumably take this past 2/30.)

Unless those player/team options are structured in incredibly unconventional ways, I sincerely doubt this plays out as 2/30.

[chopsx9]

So would the Cubs go with 3 lefties in the rotation?

[jersey cubs fan]

3 hours ago, Illiterate Scholar said:

How about a Ted Lilly comp for Imanaga. Minus some walks, innings, and tax evasions.

Also hopefully minus the serial killing 

[Ding Dong Johnson]

1 minute ago, jersey cubs fan said:

Also hopefully minus the serial killing 

But that's what made him so charming

[We Got The Whole 9]

Heyman says at least one team was willing to more than double the offer the Cubs made 

[SOFNR]

7 minutes ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

Heyman says at least one team was willing to more than double the offer the Cubs made 

I believe he was saying somebody was willing to double the guarantee.  So while we're still waiting for all the details, i think he was referring to the 2/30.

[imb]

18 hours ago, PeanutPunch33 said:

Jed > Theo when it’s all said and done 

gitmo for you pal

[Backtobanks]

18 hours ago, PeanutPunch33 said:

Jed > Theo when it’s all said and done 

Jed's best days were when he was getting coffee for Theo.  

[Jfoley89]

I honestly can't understand the rush to have a 17 million dollar #5 starter if we're not blowing past the luxury tax. This team has an army of league minimum arms fighting for the last spot. Spend money on bats 

[Irrelevant Dude]

With Imanaga in town for a physical and press conference later this week, will he also be sticking around for the Cubs Convention?

On one hand, that would seem to be a no-brainer.  He is a big signing and he is already here, so why not generate some buzz at the Convention?  On the other hand, that is possibly a very uncomfortable situation to throw a guy into when he is brand new to the country and (probably) doesn't speak English.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

1 minute ago, Irrelevant Dude said:

With Imanaga in town for a physical and press conference later this week, will he also be sticking around for the Cubs Convention?

On one hand, that would seem to be a no-brainer.  He is a big signing and he is already here, so why not generate some buzz at the Convention?  On the other hand, that is possibly a very uncomfortable situation to throw a guy into when he is brand new to the country and (probably) doesn't speak English.

I would guess they have him wave to the crowd on Friday and introduce him as long as he can be in town, but I doubt they're adding him to the itinerary in any meaningful way.