Cubs President Jed Hoyer has made it clear that Shota Imanaga's decision to accept the qualifying offer for next season was a positive move, citing increased clarity on the rotation and available dollars. Hoyer acknowledged rumors suggesting the team was blindsided by Imanaga's potential departure, but stated they were "excited to have him back" and wouldn't have offered the qualifying offer if they weren't.
Imanaga had struggled down the stretch last season, particularly after suffering a hamstring injury in May that affected his mechanics. Hoyer believes Imanaga is motivated to bounce back from a disappointing end to the year, stating "he didn’t like the way the season ended." The Cubs are confident their offseason plan can help address Imanaga's issues.
Meanwhile, the team is preparing for pitcher Matthew Boyd's participation in the World Baseball Classic. Hoyer noted that Boyd had an early ramp-up schedule last year and was successful, so he doesn't expect it to be a significant issue this time around. The Cubs will look to maintain Boyd's strength, having seen him perform well in a previous exhibition game.
Hoyer also highlighted the promising free-agent class from Japan this offseason, which includes right-hander Tatsuya Imai and power-hitting third baseman Munetaka Murakami. The Cubs have made a concerted effort to sign players from the Pacific Rim in recent years, with Imanaga joining Seiya Suzuki in 2022.
Imanaga had struggled down the stretch last season, particularly after suffering a hamstring injury in May that affected his mechanics. Hoyer believes Imanaga is motivated to bounce back from a disappointing end to the year, stating "he didn’t like the way the season ended." The Cubs are confident their offseason plan can help address Imanaga's issues.
Meanwhile, the team is preparing for pitcher Matthew Boyd's participation in the World Baseball Classic. Hoyer noted that Boyd had an early ramp-up schedule last year and was successful, so he doesn't expect it to be a significant issue this time around. The Cubs will look to maintain Boyd's strength, having seen him perform well in a previous exhibition game.
Hoyer also highlighted the promising free-agent class from Japan this offseason, which includes right-hander Tatsuya Imai and power-hitting third baseman Munetaka Murakami. The Cubs have made a concerted effort to sign players from the Pacific Rim in recent years, with Imanaga joining Seiya Suzuki in 2022.
I mean, who wouldn't want Shota Imanaga back after his epic struggles down the stretch? I'm sure it was totally the team's fault for having him on the roster, and Imanaga just needed a little TLC to get his mechanics back on track 
. Jed Hoyer sounds like a total saint, saying they wouldn't have offered the qualifying offer if they weren't "excited" to have him back... yeah right, maybe not so much of that excitement when he's on the DL and costing them wins 
. Anyway, it's great that the Cubs are investing in some promising Japanese talent – maybe this is their ticket to finally making a comeback 
(or at least, to not completely embarrass themselves on the field) 
! He's had some ups and downs last season, but I think it's awesome that he's motivated to come back stronger this time around 
. The fact that the front office is confident in their plan to help him address his issues is super reassuring 
.
Tatsuya Imai and Munetaka Murakami sound like total game-changers! It's so cool that the Cubs are investing in players from the Pacific Rim again – it's all about building a diverse team with talent from around the world 
. Bring on next season, Cubs fans! 
️
I mean, come on Shota, you were down the stretch last season and now you're just gonna come back because it's convenient for everyone else? 
The Cubs are just trying to spin this as some kind of positive move, but let's be real, they're just trying to save face. And don't even get me started on Matthew Boyd, he's always injury-prone... 
And now they're gonna try to fix his issues in the offseason? Like that's ever worked before. 
his decision to take that qualifying offer was like a total cop-out imo but hey at least the cubs are being real about it and acknowledging that he had a rough patch last season i mean who can blame him though? getting hurt in may is basically a baseball player's worst nightmare 
and i love how jed hoyer is giving Imanaga props for wanting to bounce back from that terrible end of the year but like its not that hard to do, right? im just frustrated because cubs fans deserve so much better than this lukewarm commitment to their players 
anyway at least they got some exciting free agents from japan coming in and i cant wait to see tatsuya imai and munetaka murakami in action 
maybe the cubs can actually make a push for the playoffs this year 
... seems like they're pretty hyped about him being back for next season? But also kinda worried about his performance last year, you know? Like he had a hamstring injury and it affected how well he pitched 
... Tatsuya Imai and Munetaka Murakami are kinda big deals 
like he's gonna magically fix his game after that disappointing end to last season 
Anyway, still gonna be interesting to see how this plays out...
it's so cool to see them working together again!
!
. Still think it's good for the Cubs to have him back, though - Hoyer seems like a legit guy who knows what he's doing 
. Can't help but wonder if they've got some new tricks up their sleeve with this free-agent class from Japan... Murakami sounds like a beast at 3B 
!