Another Japanese Ace Could Become Available for Chicago Cubs This Offseason

With the Chicago Cubs brass looking to turn their roster into one that can get into the playoffs next year, all things are seemingly on the table this winter.

What comes out of that sentiment will be seen, but it does seem like Jed Hoyer and his front office are going to be more active in free agency this time around than they were last offseason.

The biggest gem of the Cubs' additions this past cycle was signing Japanese international free agent Shota Imanaga.

Handing him a four-year, $53 million contract that paled in comparison to what his countrymate Yoshinobu Yamamoto received, the left-hander became simply sensational for Chicago in 2024, posting a 2.91 ERA across his 29 starts where he had the best K/BB ratio in all of Major League Baseball.

Pitching will always be in demand by all teams, especially ones who plan on being contenders, so with that in mind, there's a chance the Cubs target another Japanese ace to add to their staff.

According to Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors, Shinnosuke Ogasawara will ask his team in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, the Chunichi Dragons, to post him so he can become available to be signed by MLB teams this winter.

Across his nine seasons with the Dragons, he has a career 3.66 ERA in 1,095 innings pitched, producing a 2.99 ERA in 141.1 innings of work in 2024.

Ogasawara will be 27 years old by the time the next MLB season begins, so he should be someone teams around the league are interested in signing if he does get posted by Chunichi and becomes available.

For Chicago, he could be an intriguing option.

While he's left-handed and would certainly make their rotation lefty dominant alongside Imanaga, Justin Steele, and potentially Jordan Wicks, if he can come in a be a solid back-end starter, then that could be something they explore.

It will be interesting to see how his market develops if he is posted.

Polishuk points out that Ogasawara's low strikeout rate of 13.87% clouds how he might be viewed by teams across Major League Baseball.

Either way, another pitching option seems set to hit the open market who the Cubs could go after this winter.