2023 Cubs castoff hoping to return to MLB after 2-year hiatus in Japan

The Chicago Cubs' multi-year rebuild once Jed Hoyer took over for Theo Epstein was painful and filled with countless forgettable names as the front office looked to eat innings, take at-bats and get through seasons however they could.

At the tail end of that rebuild and as the Cubs started to pull out of it and regain competitiveness, they picked up a former first-round pick off waivers, bringing in left-hander Anthony Kay from Toronto. To say things didn't go as planned would be an understatement. He made just 13 appearances, working to a 6.35 ERA with a bloated walk rate and minuscule strikeout numbers.

Former Cubs pitcher Anthony Kay looking to return to the big leagues

Chicago placed him on waivers in mid-September, and he latched on with the Mets for the home stretch, to similar results. That was the last time he pitched in the big leagues, having spent the last two years pitching in Japan. He's hoping to turn a strong 2025 showing into a new MLB opportunity, though, according to reports.

This season, Kay was dominant for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, setting the team's single-season ERA record at 1.74 - and doing so over a sizable body of work (155 innings). With an average fastball velocity in the mid-90s and an NPB-best 57.8 percent ground ball rate, he's likely to garner plenty of interest from teams looking for pitching help.

For the most part, the southpaw pitched in relief during his MLB career, but his breakout showing overseas as a starter will make him more attractive to clubs. A reunion with the Cubs doesn't feel particularly likely unless they see him in a Colin Rea-esque swing role, but I imagine he'll get offers to be a starter given how well he pitched in Japan this season.

That being said, the Cubs will always be interested in pitchers like this. We saw just how critical pitching depth was in 2025, after Justin Steele missed most of the year with an injury and several key arms spent considerable time on the IL. The first domino to fall will be the decision on how to handle Shota Imanaga's contract situation - once we have clarity there, it may shed light on how Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins plan to attack the offseason.