Tatsuya Imai signing with the Astros took a lot of Cubs fans by surprise, as the 27-year-old was one of the team’s top options this winter. The opt-out-heavy deal he accepted wasn’t appealing to the Cubs, which makes total sense, as the upside isn’t nearly as high for a team in need of long-term rotation help as it is for the player.
Now that Imai is off the market, signs are pointing towards the Cubs shopping near the lower tier of free agent starting pitchers. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com wrote on Thursday that missing out on Imai doesn’t mean the Cubs will turn to another big name such as Framber Valdez or Ranger Suárez.