Chicago Cubs May Have Secret Weapon in Pursuit of Japanese Free Agent

The Chicago Cubs could have a secret weapon that no one is thinking about in their pursuit of a star international free agent.

Mar 20, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Japan starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (14) delivers a pitch during the first inning against Mexico at LoanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs have been one of the more active teams this winter, though the majority of their activity has taken place on the trade market.

Adding Kyle Tucker to the mix in the outfield, while moving Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees has improved their product on the field while also leaving the club more room on their payroll.

While the outfield has seen an upgrade, pitching is still and always has been the calling card for the Cubs, and there is one free agent left on the market that the franchise has its eyes on, Roki Sasaki.

Many have already penciled in the phenom to land with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago may have a secret weapon in their hopes for landing the pitcher in another international free agent they signed just last winter — Shota Imanaga.

Imanaga saw immediate success on the mound in his first foray into MLB, something that cannot be said for most other pitchers who come to the States from Japanese baseball.

While Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Kodai Senga were spending months each on the injured list, Imanaga was busy posting a 2.91 ERA across 29 starts and 173 1/3 innings, while being named an All-Star, and finishing fifth in National League Cy Young voting and fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting.

While many do expect Sasaki to join MLB and immediately make an impact, he should be looked at more as a prospect getting promoted as he will only be 23 when the new season begins and has only pitched 414.2 innings of professional baseball.

Sasaki is expected to be a star pitcher in the future, whether you look at him as a sure thing now or as a prospect. With the success that Imanaga saw in his first campaign in MLB, the Cubs could draw that same success from Sasaki.

Chicago has quickly propelled themselves into playoff contention with the moves that they have made already this winter.

With just over a month left until pitchers and catchers report, there is still time left to make more moves, and the club may have the secret weapon needed to land one of the biggest prizes of the offseason.