When Shota Imanaga accepted the Chicago Cubs' qualifying offer, the instant fear that Cubs fans had was that the money attached to the offer, $22.025 million, would be used as an excuse come spring training when Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins explain why they didn't make a larger addition to their starting rotation. Misevaluating the market is an excuse the Cubs' front office has pointed to in the past, and it is one rival executive is urging the team not to use this offseason.
Polling executives across Major League Baseball, ESPN's Jesse Rogers offers an early look at how the offseason is unfolding.