Cubs' offseason could continue to spiral because of Tatsuya Imai's decision

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. Imai signing with the Astros, of all teams, could actually end up being a worst-case scenario for Hoyer and his quest to add a front-end arm - because Houston wasn't widely viewed as being on the list of teams shopping for impact starters this winter.

Mets, Orioles, Jays and others ready to spoil the Cubs' offseason plans

That means teams like the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and the Baltimore Orioles, among others, are still scouring the market - and could play spoiler to the Cubs' pursuit to get their arm.

The Mets have been heavily connected to the market's top remaining free-agent starter, Framber Valdez, who is expected to fetch $30+ million annually on his next deal. The Yankees were speculated to be in on Imai, but their interest seemed to cool as time went on. Baltimore made a huge splash, signing Pete Alonso and trading for Shane Baz, but another quality starter would go a long way toward helping the O's get back on track.

Other free agent starters still available include Ranger Suarez and Zac Gallen. There's a heap of arms below those two, but none who you'd feel great about asking to step in to help headline a rotation. On the trade front, it's a lot of names Cubs fans are probably familiar with from last summer's trade deadline rumors: MacKenzie Gore, Edward Cabrera, Kris Bubic, etc.

At some point, Hoyer is going to have to get out of his comfort zone. That's the only way you put forth the best trade offer or entice a major free agent to sign with you. I understand having your valuations of players and not getting wild overpaying for the sake of doing something, but there are guys worth pushing past that line for - and that's the type of arm this Cubs team desperately needs.