Cubs president Jed Hoyer makes clear that Shota Imanaga accepting qualifying offer was 'a good thing'
ORLANDO, Fla. — Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer didn’t mince words when he was asked about the impact of left-hander Shota Imanaga accepting the qualifying offer for next season.
‘‘Clearly, we wouldn’t have offered it if we weren’t excited to have him back and if we were going to be handcuffed by it,’’ Hoyer said Monday at the winter meetings, addressing rumors to the contrary. ‘‘We weren’t blindsided.’’
The Cubs weren’t initially sure what Imanaga would decide after his club and player options were declined and the team extended him the $22.025 million qualifying offer for 2026.
‘‘It gave some clarity as far as the rotation,’’ Hoyer said. ‘‘It gave some clarity as far as available dollars. We knew going in that there was a possibility that could happen, and [it’s] a good thing.’’
Imanaga, who finished fifth in National League Cy Young voting as a rookie in 2024, struggled down the stretch last season and into the playoffs. But the prevailing theory is that the hamstring injury he suffered in early May affected his mechanics late in the season.
‘‘Everything for him kind of stems off of the great ride he has on the fastball,’’ Hoyer said, ‘‘and that wasn’t the case at the end of the year.’’
The Cubs are confident their offseason plan for Imanaga can help address those issues.
‘‘We’re definitely getting a super-motivated pitcher back,’’ Hoyer said. ‘‘He didn’t like the way the season ended.’’
Boyd balancing WBC ramp-up
For pitchers, especially, committing to play in the World Baseball Classic means an early ramp-up entering spring training. But for Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd, who has committed to Team USA for the tournament, that schedule won’t be altogether unfamiliar.
‘‘He had to ramp up early last year, and it worked out pretty well for him,’’ Hoyer said. ‘‘So I don’t think the schedule will be that dissimilar to what we had to do [to open last season in] Japan.’’
The Cubs arrived to spring training early last offseason to prepare for the Tokyo Series on March 18-19. Boyd, who was entering his first full season since returning the previous August from Tommy John surgery, showed a jump in velocity in an exhibition game in Japan before posting a 3.21 ERA during the season.
‘‘All the testing we were doing on him, he maintained his strength really well,’’ Hoyer said.
Talent in Japan
The free-agent class coming over from Japan this offseason is headlined by right-hander Tatsuya Imai — whom the Cubs have expressed interest in, a source confirmed — and power-hitting third baseman Munetaka Murakami.
‘‘This may be the best year so far, as far as players coming over from Japan,’’ Hoyer said. ‘‘There’s a number of really good players.’’
The Cubs have put an emphasis on the Pacific Rim in recent years, resulting in the signings of right fielder Seiya Suzuki in 2022 and Imanaga in 2024.