Brewers' arch-rivals outbid by AL contender in Tatsuya Imai sweepstakes

The Chicago Cubs' inaction this winter is both satisfying and worrisome for Milwaukee Brewers fans. With the Cubs needing to find Kyle Tucker-esque production for their lineup this winter (which could simply lead to a reunion with Tucker on a long-term deal), and improve upon a starting rotation that faltered down the stretch, Chicago has instead spent most of the 2025-26 offseason revamping a bullpen group that saw several key departures at the end of the 2025 campaign.

Jed Hoyer and company have done well with their bullpen signings, especially given how expensive the market for top-tier relief pitching is. Chicago's front office has added names like Phil Maton, Jacob Webb, and Hunter Harvey without breaking the bank this winter. However, while their unwillingness to go outside of their comfort zone financially has led to several savvy bullpen signings, it has also prevented them from landing the frontline starter that Cubs fans have been asking for all winter.

After reportedly having interest in top free agent starter Dylan Cease, whom the Cubs drafted back in 2014, Chicago missed out on his services after failing to match the hefty seven-year, $210 million deal that the defending AL Champion Blue Jays were willing to dish out. As a result, the Cubs' attention turned to another top arm on the free agent market: Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai.

Imai, who has spent the last eight years with the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan, garnered plenty of interest on the free agent market this winter, but lofty contract expectations held up his market until the penultimate day of his posting window. Earlier today, in what was the first major signing of 2026, Imai agreed to a three-year, $63 million contract with the Houston Astros, leaving the Cubs empty-handed once again.

Cubs fail to top Astros' three-year, $63 million offer for Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai

Imai would have added a significant boost to a Cubs' rotation that appears destined for regression in 2026. After reaping the benefits of outlier seasons from arms like Matthew Boyd and Cade Horton, both of whom failed to back up their impressive performances with strong underlying metrics that would suggest continued success, Chicago is feeling the pressure to add to their starting staff before the 2026 season commences.

Though question marks certainly exist in Imai's profile, and it's never a guarantee that a player will have the same success in MLB as they had in NPB, there's no denying his addition to Chicago's 2026 rotation would have put some pressure on the Brewers, who have won the division in each of the last three seasons. With Chicago missing out on another big name, and still having yet to answer the void left in their lineup by the presumed departure of Tucker, the Brewers remain the clear favorites to add a fourth-consecutive division title next season.

Here, however, is where the worry sets in. As previously mentioned, the Cubs have yet to spend considerable money this offseason, despite having the payroll space to do so. Each time another big-name free agent falls off the board and doesn't land in Wrigleyville, it's music to Brewers fans' ears, but it also increases the likelihood that the Cubs will be the ones to sign the next big star. In fact, in the wake of the Imai news, reports have surfaced that Chicago is interested in adding Bo Bichette to their lineup this offseason. The Cubs have also been linked to Alex Bregman, and a reunion with Tucker should not be entirely ruled out just yet.

Therefore, while today's news of Imai landing in Houston is absolutely good news for Brewers fans who didn't want to see the Japanese ace in a Cubs' uniform next season, it's not all good news for Milwaukee, as Chicago being outbid once again could lead them to sign an even more impactful player in the near future. However, the big assumption there is that the Ricketts Family, who owns the Cubs, is willing to leave their confusingly inexpensive comfort zone and shell out the necessary money for a big-name free agent.