Cubs Could Turn to Japan to Address Biggest Bullpen Need

Yuki Matsui is a left-handed relief pitcher who has pitched in more than 500 games for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in the NPB in Japan. The soon-to-be 28-year-old is exploring his options this offseason that may include coming over to MLB, following his 10th season pitching in Japan. The Chicago Cubs could certainly use an effective lefty in their bullpen and they reportedly are interested in signing Matsui, who is a full free agent, no longer attached to a posting fee.

According to a Yahoo Japan report, at least nine MLB teams have scouted Matsui and that includes the Cubs. The left-handed closer has recorded 236 career saves in Japan, while posting a 2.40 ERA in 501 appearances. Matsui was dominant in 2023, putting up his third straight year of a sub-2 ERA.

Although the numbers obviously look fantastic, there are always going to be questions regarding any player's transition from foreign leagues to MLB because there is a gap there. It's natural to question whether that player can keep up their dominance against better competition although there have definitely been success stories when you look at Japanese pitchers coming over to the states.

While reading up on Matsui, there was this one blurb from MLB Trade Rumors that might raise some concerns from teams that have scouted him.

Via MLBTR.

However, Matsui’s small role in the WBC could have been due to reported difficulty he had throwing the WBC ball, which was larger than the standard ball used in NPB play and closer to the type of baseball used in the majors.  More broadly, Matsui has a relatively small frame (5’8″ and 167 pounds), so scouts may have concerns over how he might hold up over the long term, even if he has been pretty durable during his time with the Eagles.

Of course, the Cubs, as well as the other interested teams, have done and will continue to evaluate the risks and rewards of pursuing Matsui this offseason. According to reports, Matsui's team in Japan, the Eagles, are set to offer him a four-year deal worth close to $11 million to retain him this offseason. Matsui has hired WME’s Bryan Minniti as his agent.

As you might recall, the Cubs operated without a left-handed reliever for most of the 2023 season, as veteran righty Mark Leiter Jr. was used to neutralize left-handed hitters. Leiter was having a good year until he lost all feel for his split pitch, which was his primary weapon against left-handed hitters. The team eventually had Drew Smyly in the bullpen and then rookie Luke Little was called up late in the year, but was used minimally down the stretch.

If the Cubs do seriously pursue Matsui, I doubt they view him as their new closer, but will most certainly welcome him as their top left-handed arm in the bullpen.

This year's free agent class of lefty relievers is headlined by Josh Hader and Aroldis Chapman The Cubs do need to address their bullpen, but I doubt they shop at the top of this part of the market. You can see other intriguing options from the lefty side here.