Cubs' New Ace Hoped They'd Sign Him After Being Comfortable In Chicago

It looks like the Chicago Cubs and their new signing are starting a great partnership after he settled into the city and was hoping they'd sign him.

There was a lot of speculation about which one of the free agent pitchers the Chicago Cubs might be interested in signing this offseason.

With a clear need to upgrade their rotation, the logical first option was spending major money for Yoshinobu Yamamoto. However, after he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, they needed to look elsewhere.

Despite both the reigning NL Cy Young winner, Blake Snell, and World Series champion pitcher, Jordan Montgomery, still available on the market, the connections between the Cubs and these two seemed to wane.

Without a notable signing, Chicago eventually landed their first major addition when they agreed to terms with Japanese star Shota Imanaga.

The 30-year-old lefty was a very productive pitcher during his time in Nippon Professional Baseball and was looking for a new challenge by coming to play in the MLB.

According to him, there's no place he would rather take on this challenge than with the Cubs and in the city of Chicago.

"Each team is different and it’s a long process. One time I mentioned, 'I hope the Cubs offer me.' I was kind of joking just because at that time the Cubs were out of the picture," he told said through an interpreter.

The backstory on this comes from Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, who highlighted his connection to the city before he even was posted by his NPB team.

"Shota Imanaga listened to the roar of the crowd during the national anthem, taking in the scene before one of Connor Bedard’s first home games with the Chicago Blackhawks. Imanaga later returned to the United Center to buy a Michael Jordan jersey and take a picture next to the iconic statue. This was early November, a few weeks before Imanaga entered the posting system created by Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball," he wrote.

Cubs' president of baseball operations, Jed Hoyer, personally scouted the left-hander in Japan during September 2023 and continued to stay in contact with Imanaga's representatives throughout the free agency process.

Ultimately, both parties got their wish, as the organization and potential ace agreed to a four-year, $53 million contract.

This reportedly was well under what other teams had offered him, but Imanaga's connection to Chicago played a huge part in his decision to sign with the Cubs.