MLB Insider Says Some Believe Chicago Cubs Are 'Real Players' For Roki Sasaki

The Chicago Cubs could make a real push for Japanese sensation Roki Sasaki.

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs have suddenly turned what looked like another conservative offseason into an aggressive one after trading for one of the best outfielders in baseball in Kyle Tucker followed by shipping Cody Bellinger's contract out of town.

Now, the Cubs could get even more bold this winter by making themselves a legitimate player in the sweepstakes for Japanese sensation and presumed future MLB star Roki Sasaki.

Having just turned 23 years old, Sasaki is sought after by every team in baseball after being posted and becoming an international free agent, and money isn't going to keep Chicago from being seriously involved as it maybe normally would.

Due to Sasaki's age, he is not eligible to hit full free agency. The maximum amount he is going to command is a team's entire international signing bonus pool of $7.5 million.

In other words, this is not a situation like Yoshinobu Yamamoto last season when he secured $325 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers as the highest bidder.

Teams will have to make a real pitch to the young ace as to why he should join their organization, and some think Chicago has a real case to deliver.

Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com shed some light on where the Cubs stand.

"There are some who think the Cubs are serious players here, and after acquiring Kyle Tucker from the Astros, they clearly are thinking they can contend in the wide open NL Central," Mayo wrote. "Plus they currently have Shota Imanaga in the rotation and Seiya Suzuki in the lineup."

The presence and success of Shota Imanaga certainly helps the case of the Cubs in their pursuit of Sasaki.

Being given the opportunity to join a fellow countryman in the starting rotation is an enticing one, and assuming the team doesn't trade Seiya Suzuki, a dynamic Japanese trio in Wrigley Field is a nice selling point for Jed Hoyer and company.

What shouldn't be discounted either is the Yu Darvish factor.

While Darvish no longer pitches for Chicago, he has had nothing but positive things to say about the city and his time with the Cubs, an influence that could loom large.

Unfortunately , however, Chicago will have to make a case against Darvish's current team, the San Diego Padres, along with the obvious possible suitor in the Dodgers.

It is going to be tough to actually get him to sign, but hearing the Cubs will at least be a factor in the Sasaki negotiations should be enough to excite fans.