The first week of the offseason is often the most procedural of the winter, with players and teams making decisions on options for the season ahead. Most of these decisions are known before the end of the regular season, but as is the case with the Chicago Cubs and Shota Imanaga, there can often be a level of complexity that makes a decision complicated.
Nonetheless, beyond the players with expiring contracts, a handful of potential targets are added to the free-agent market this week. For a Cubs front office that is always looking to improve around the margins, the more options available lead to more paths for Jed Hoyer and Co.