Shota Imanaga gets an early endorsement from Chicago Cubs Teammate

Chicago Cubs pitchers and catchers officially report to Spring Training next week but there have been early arrivals at the team's complex in Arizona in recent weeks.

Adbert Alzolay, Michael Busch, and Nico Hoerner are among the players who have been spotted working out at the Cubs' Spring Training facility and it would seem that starting pitchers Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga are already present as well.

Steele took to social media on Thursday afternoon to endorse Imanaga.

Steele finished in the Top Five in National League Cy Young award voting this past season so it is safe to say that he knows great pitching when he sees it.

One of the questions that needs to be answered during Spring Training is how the Cubs' rotation will be lined up to begin the 2024 season. It seems inevitable that Steele will be the Opening Day starter, and the rotation will conclude with Jordan Wicks and Kyle Hendricks.

At first blush, it would seem that Jameson Taillon would slide in behind Steele with Imanaga serving as the No. 3. Such a rotation would allow the Cubs to alternate their three left-handed starting pitchers, assuming Wicks is the bookend on the rotation.

The Cubs have a rotation that projects well but lacks a true ace. The case can be made for Steele, but he does not have the swing-and-miss stuff that a true top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher has. If Taillon's second-half success is his production during the 2024 season, that would be serviceable but may leave more to be desired.

It's also worth noting that Ben Brown and Cade Horton will likely factor into the starting rotation at some point during the 2024 season. Horton is quickly rising toward being one of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball and could prove to be the answer to the team's need for a front-end starting pitcher.

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