Tatsuya Imai contract might give Jed Hoyer some cover from angry Cubs fans

Well, I don't think anyone saw that one coming. The Houston Astros, who weren't mentioned at all in rumors, are the winners of the Tatsuya Imai sweepstakes - and the price they paid fell well short of pretty much every projection: three years, $63 million, with opt-outs after each of the first two seasons.

I know the knee-jerk reaction of most Chicago Cubs fans who were hoping Imai would come to the North Side and Jed Hoyer would start 2026 with a bang: how did we not beat that offer?

Well, for one, the Cubs may have. Imai reportedly had longer-term offers with lower AAVs, but chose to bet on himself with the short-term, opt-out-laden pact with Houston. And if Chicago wasn't in the running, at least not there at the end (again, that's speculation), the deal Imai signed with the Astros tells you all you need to know about how the league feels his skillset will translate against MLB hitters.

It tells you that very few, if any, organizations view the 27-year-old right-hander as a front-end starter - which is what this Cubs rotation so desperately needs heading into 2026.

The entire league just told us why the Cubs didn't sign Tatsuya Imai

The league-wide consensus is that Imai could be a solid middle-of-the-rotation piece - but one hardly worth a nine-figure deal that outlets projected for him at the start of the offseason. Does it suck to see the Cubs not sign a guy they were widely viewed as a front-runner for in recent weeks? Absolutely. But if the entire league thinks Imai isn't an ace, it becomes a lot easier to defend Hoyer not signing him.

Chicago doesn't need another #3 starter in the mix. They have plenty of those. That's how most perceive the likes of Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga - all of whom are important pieces of this staff. Justin Steele will return to the mix in the first half after missing the majority of the 2025 campaign and he's definitely closer to an ace and rookie Cade Horton has the makings of a legit stud, but we can't annoint him king after one year in the big leagues.

Hoyer couldn't - and shouldn't - waste precious powder on someone the league doesn't perceive as an ace. Now, though, the pressure is on. With Imai off the board, the market could move quickly, and he and Carter Hawkins must ensure they're not left behind, too focused on playing it safe to take that big swing.