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Chicago Cubs signal Shōta Imanaga to a four-year, $53 million contract, with a fifth-year membership possibility.Mark it down, of us. January tenth, 2024, the Cubs make their first non-managerial transfer to influence their major-league roster of the offseason. The membership completed one sport out of a playoff spot (the staff that edged them out for the sixth seed made the World Collection, in the event you forgot), and administration has proven all of the urgency of Stanley from The Workplace.
They’ve but to backfill for the departure of Cody Bellinger or mid-season pickup Jeimer Candelario. Till yesterday, Marcus Stroman’s absence additionally loomed considerably ominously. Not as a result of the Cubs don’t have inner choices—Matt Mervis most likely deserves a chance with a bit extra runway than he’s acquired to this point at first base, Mike Tauchman’s emergence allowed Bellinger to slip to first (and Pete Crow-Armstrong already debuted final yr), and at third they’ve Nick Madri- okay, you’re going to need to discover somebody for third. Imanaga’s signing pushes Hayden Wesneski, Javier Assa, and/or Caleb Killian out of the rotation—none of them outright objectionable fifth beginning choices—and provides the org a little bit of an extended leash on somebody like Cade Horton, who ought to debut this coming season.
If, nevertheless, a month or so from now, one was to dutifully open their version of the 2024 Annual (purchase right here! It’s finalized and in writer’s fingers now!), you’d see that on the time of publication PECOTA projected the Cubs for 81.1 wins. That’s two video games under the place Chicago landed final season, and a nine-game hole from their pythagorean document. And PECOTA anticipated the Cubs to win a hair greater than 77 video games when it launched in the course of final February (the system being predisposed to distrust of younger groups nonetheless establishing their bonafides). Nonetheless, although, even when the system is six-ish wins (relying on what date of projection one chooses) behind on Chicago, because it was final yr, 87 wins hasn’t taken the NL Central since 2007. This kind of inaction, particularly with this a lot uncertainty on the roster, makes little sense for a membership on this place.
