It Has to Be Tatsuya: Why Cubs Must Land Posted Japanese Ace to Lead Rotation

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Image courtesy of Pacific League TV/YouTube

 

At this week's hotly anticipated (and grossly underwhelming) MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando, a lack of activity from Chicago's North Side baseball team left fans feeling colder than a Roscoe Village sidewalk in January. While the squad's starting pitching rotation has not been rounded out quite yet, skipper Craig Counsell emphasized to the media in his presser that pitching is not a commodity of which any team can have enough. Jed Hoyer and his staff agree, but so far, they're taking a quantity-over-quality approach. They've signed three relievers this winter: Phil Maton, Hoby Milner, and Collin Snider. These three could prove key pieces to a bullpen that kept batters off balance in 2025. However, the bullpen is really only worth a damn if the starter sets them up for success. So, with prime targets like Michael King, Joe Ryan, and the pined-over Tatsuya Imai remaining unsigned, what's next? And, more importantly, who is the best option to help the Chicago Cubs claim the Fall Classic?

Even Cubs fans engaged in heated debates over what is or isn't a Christmas movie agree that their favorite baseball team needs a poised, imposing starting pitcher, not only to attain their lofty postseason goals, but to reclaim the crown in their own National League Central, where the Milwaukee Brewers have reigned for far too long. There are a few fine options who would instantly make this squad better, but we've covered a handful of them recently. Today, let's focus on the pitcher who could make this a championship-caliber group: Tatsuya Imai. 

Imai is the best fit to join the Chicago Cubs; that's why the club's pursuit of him is so intentional. In eight seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, Imai has been sturdy and occasionally dominant, with a 3.15 ERA and 907 strikeouts. Though he comes from the land of the diving splitter, Imai's mid-90s velocity and plus slider make him distinctly American in style and could make him the missing ingredient for a Cubs team often light on whiffs.

Needless to say, another main component of Imai's profile that makes him attractive to the Cubs' front office is his youth. At just 27 years old, he could add a charge of young talent sorely missing in this rotation. Outside of Cade Horton, the Cubs' rotation leans on the older side, with just Horton and Javier Assad coming in under age 30. Younger players carry more untapped potential than a veteran player with a known track record—although, of course, they also come with more risk. 

With the acquisition of Tatsuya Imai, the Chicago Cubs would have an opportunity to announce that they are a true World Series contender, not just a postseason also-ran. After falling in five games to the Milwaukee Brewers last October, Craig Counsell's squad looked on as his former team got erased by the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers. The North Siders aren't as good as the Dodgers, probably, but they do have a chance to be better than the Brew Crew, and Imai's arrival at Wrigley would signal that they think so, too. 

 

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I agree here. The most important thing about Imai, in my opinion, is the velo of his pitches. And his age is a welcoming factor as well, all points touched down in the article. His WHIP is the best in his league, which is in the .90s. He would be a welcoming factor not only because of that raw power, but also that mix between young age and said power.

Long term or short term, that is the question. I think that Imai is more of a stabilizer rather than a long-term addition. That's what the Cubs seem to be seeking at this point. The contract might be around 5 years, judging that this is a compromise pitcher. Hoyer doesn't seem to have enough of keeping his money in his pocket, and he feels like a blatant addition when we're all screaming at him to take action.

But what this article didn't touch on--and what I want to accentuate--is the sheer repertoire that Imai has. H doesn't have a prime focus as much as other pitchers; his five favorites hover around 20% usage, which allows for diversity. And, his anomalous velos decrease the chances of contact and ensure more strikeouts. And that diversity is a focus away from the 4-seam and the contact to explosiveness.

I expect the Cubs, if they truly have interest, to sign him by January. And I think there's a 75% chance this will happen, considering the symbiotic relationship this would have on him and the team. But then there's the fact of payment. Kelly, I believe, was signed for 27M (if I am not mistaken), and this shifts the demand curve for pitchers like him to the right, Imai perhaps one of them. So I wouldn't be surprised if his contract is heftier than previously anticipated in terms of money, and we all know how frustrating Hoover--I mean, Hoyer--is with his contract philosophy.

I don't want to jinx it, but I do hope he will be signed. If not, we're going to likely end up in the same place as last year, and the Brewers will vanquish us.