Bridesmaid for life. At least, that's the sentiment surrounding Jed Hoyer and the Chicago Cubs after reports trickled in throughout the day on Thursday that they were the last team standing alongside the Houston Astros in the Tatsuya Imai sweepstakes, which concluded this week with the right-hander signing a three-year deal with Houston that came in well below projections.
We knew the Cubs front office (as is pretty much always the case) only wanted Imai on their terms - and it cost them a shot at the 27-year-old. Chicago can't roll into 2026 without adding a big rotation piece, even with Justin Steele set to return from injury early in the season.