New MLB free agent prediction has Jed Hoyer finally addressing Cubs' biggest need

A slow-moving offseason could quickly gain steam in the coming days with the looming signing deadlines of Tatsuya Imai and Kazuma Okamoto right around the corner. Outside of those two international options, big names like Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette and Framber Valdez remain unsigned.

In a new MLB free agency prediction piece, CBS Sports' R.J. Anderson picked landing spots for his top 10 remaining free agents. This list includes Tucker, Imai, Bregman, Bichette and Valdez, along with Cody Bellinger, Ranger Suarez, J.T. Realmuto, Eugenio Suárez and Zac Gallen.

Anderson has the Chicago Cubs coming away with one name on that list - and it's one fans have grown intimately familiar with, given how much smoke has surrounded him in recent weeks in the 27-year-old Imai.

Cubs pegged to snag free agent Tatsuya Imai, edging out the Yankees

Here's what Anderson has to say about Imai and this hypothetical landing spot:

Imai is an incoming transfer from Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league. He's on a lower level than someone like Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but he has a quality arsenal that includes a mid-90s fastball and a wrong-way slider. All the usual big spenders have been connected to Imai publicly, with the Yankees and Cubs probably making the most sense for him. Coin flip says Chicago.  Prediction: Cubs

New York and Chicago have been singled out in public speculation as the likeliest landing spots for the right-hander, with other reports suggesting the Cubs could come away as the winner only if Imai's market isn't quite as strong as some initially believed it would be. Given Jed Hoyer's refusal to play at the top of the free-agent market, it makes sense that a more palatable price tag would only increase the team's interest in the hurler's services.

Chicago's current rotation mix features the likes of Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon and Colin Rea, with left-hander Justin Steele expected to return to the staff early in the first half. But, as we saw last season, depth is everything - and, in an ideal world, Hoyer adds Imai or trades for another front-end starter because it's clearly this team's biggest need.

We'll soon have our answer. Imai faces a Jan. 2 signing deadline - and once he comes off the board, the rest of the pitching market could quickly take shape.