When Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Cubs’ top target, chose to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers rather than them despite receiving equal contracts, the Cubs suffered a serious blow.
Compared to previous offseasons, this one has seen the team be far more strategic in their decisions and refrain from lavishing enormous sums of money on each prominent free player.
According to reports, they intend to use 2024 as a transition year before trying to compete in 2025.

Although it’s unlikely that the Cubs will target Jordan Montgomery or Blake Snell, two other top free agents, they might concentrate on Shota Imanaga, a fellow Japanese starter.
Despite being a top starter in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, left-handed pitcher Imanaga has gotten significantly less notice than Yamamoto because of all the attention that Yamamoto garnered.
His career ERA is 3.18 after more than 1,000 innings pitched and 165 starts.

The Mets may decide to pursue the lefty as a rotation possibility in the future as he is predicted to fetch a far lesser contract than the one Yamamoto recently signed.
Over a five-year period, his estimated average annual value ranges from approximately $12 million to $15 million.
The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reports that the 30-year-old is now considering offers and is anticipated to meet with MLB teams early in the upcoming season.