This weekend, the Sheraton Grand Chicago is hosting the Cubs Convention, and a lot of attention has been on the roster changes that Jed Hoyer hasn’t made.
That is, he hasn’t signed a top-tier free agent bat (or two), such as Rhys Hoskins, Cody Bellinger, or Matt Chapman.
The Cubs president is fully aware of the mockery and criticism from the outside over his comparatively low level of involvement thus far.
Hoyer has also seen an image of the satirical “USE YOUR TURN SIGNAL WHEN MAKING MOVES” digital highway sign that was shown in Chicago. APART FROM BEING JED HOYER. ACT NOW AND GET MOVING.
“I know what people are saying,” Hoyer added with a giggle. “But making good deals is what I’m focused on.”
Before the Cubs Convention, there were two transactions, and it’s clear that Hoyer liked both of them.
Initially, Shota Imanaga arrived from Japan with a $53 million deal that lasted four years and had a five-year option to extend to $80 million.
With the Yokohama BayStars of the Central League of Japan, the 30-year-old starting pitcher finished the previous season 7-4 with a 2.80 ERA in 22 starts. Imanaga recorded 24 walks and 174 strikeouts in 148 innings pitched.
Imanaga made his debut just before the Cubs Convention doors opened on Friday, and he made a nice impression by showing his sense of humour.
The left-hander said in English, “Hey, Chicago.” “What say you? Today the Cubs are going to prevail.
Imanaga talked about moving from pitching in Japan for the last eight years to the major leagues through a translator. “My goal is to become a versatile pitcher,” he declared. “The circumstances may sometimes require me to pound the zone with a fastball, and other times it may call for a lot of breaking balls. However, I want to have multiple styles. My goal is to be flexible.
Imanaga is expected to immediately integrate into the Cubs’ rotation by new manager Craig Counsell.
Counsell declared, “From what I’ve seen and what the stat line indicates, this is a very skilled pitcher.” “He will be able to make the necessary modifications given his skill level. He may pitch as if he’s been pitching for a while, but you can be sure he’ll want to try new things, make adjustments, and pick up tips from the league. He will be able to accomplish that due to his skill level.
Second, in a deal with the Dodgers, Michael Busch was obtained. He was included in the trade on Thursday that sent prospects Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope to Los Angeles along with veteran relief pitcher Yency Almonte.
During the previous season, Busch played 98 games for Class AAA Oklahoma City, hitting.323/.431/.618 with 27 home runs and 90 RBI. The infielder hit.167/.247/.292 with two home runs and seven RBI in 27 games over his three stints with the Dodgers.
