Cubs target's bidding war might've gotten too pricy as Tatsuya Imai decision looms

Over the last week, it's felt like the Chicago Cubs have lost some distance in the sweepstakes for free-agent starting pitcher Michael King, who is drawing strong interest from a trio of American League East teams in the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, and New York Yankees.

The offseason has been defined by the Cubs identifying potential targets only for the bidding to extend beyond their comfort zone. Rather than adapt and remain in the conversation, the Cubs bow out. That was the case for their interest in Dylan Cease before he signed a $210 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, and King's bidding may have reached a similar outcome.

AL East bidding war is driving up Michael King's price with the Cubs losing distance.

The New York Mets are also involved in the bidding, and given the rivalry element of three division foes also included, King could be in line to receive a four-year deal. The AAV of the potential deal is certainly going to be higher than the $22.025 million he turned down when he rejected the San Diego Padres' qualifying offer.

One of the reasons why King was an attractive option for the Cubs is that, given that he was coming off an injury-riddled 2025 campaign and only has one full season under his belt as a starting pitcher, the bidding could be somewhat modest. Instead, interested teams seem to be playing up the fact that when healthy, King has flashed the signs of being a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher.

If the Cubs are going to be spending that type of money, they may prefer to do so on Tatsuya Imai. Imai is three years younger than King and expected to land a contract in the neighborhood of $150 million this offseason. In terms of investments, Imai would be the smarter option for a Cubs' rotation that is in need of some younger arms.

Imai's posting window closes on January 2, so one shouldn't expect the Cubs to make a starting pitching addition before then. While that may mean they lose out on someone like King, Zac Gallen remains available.

It's also worth pointing out that both Imai and Gallen are represented by Scott Boras. Realizing that Gallen will be a fallback option for teams in on Imai, it would make sense that Boras keeps the former Arizona Diamondbacks' ace on the free-agent market until after the Japanese starting pitcher signs.