Boy oh boy did that suck, huh? Sure, the Cubs are still alive, needing to win three in a row after losing both games in Milwaukee, but seeing those two losses surely doesn't inspire any confidence heading into Game 3 of the NLDS. The starting pitching has been awful and the offense looks miserable as it continues to look overmatched in the postseason. The Cubs are on the verge of getting swept by their division rival and there are already a few uncomfortable conversations that need to be had over this embarrassment of series by the club.
Is Kyle Tucker just left-handed hitting Kris Bryant 2.0? By the way, this is not second-guessing the trade for Tucker this past offseason. If it's just one year that the Cubs got Tucker, then so be it. You always make deals that give your team a better chance at winning. Tucker has been one of the best hitters in baseball and he made the 2025 Cubs a better team. He was a top-five hitter in the National League until July and then just fizzled out.
The KB comparison comes in when we talk about how much money is Tucker going to get in free agency and probably the more important question, is his body going to hold up? Tucker had the finger injury that led him to changing his mechanics during the middle of the season, which then turned him into one of the worst players in MLB. But then, he did recover, got on fire for two weeks until he strained his calf in early September.
Tucker was limited to five games in the last month of the regular season and we know he's not 100% healthy as he's been relegated to DH duty in the playoffs. Meanwhile, he's been close to a non-factor in the postseason, going 3-for-17, with two walks. He doesn't have any extra-base hits and at this point I'm not really sure if I'm going to be upset at all if the Cubs don't re-sign Tucker in the offseason.
There is no doubt that Tucker has been a good player throughout his career, but is good worth more than $300 million? Believe me, I'll bang the drum when it comes to the ridiculousness of the Cubs not going all-in on top free agents, but damn has the past few months really been a bummer watching Tucker.
But is that calf affecting Tucker more than he or the team is letting on? Entire situation sucks and we're seeing the results of a team that had a star hitter, which Tucker was, turn into a negative. Same thing happened at the end of 2023, when Cody Bellinger cooled off in September after his hot summer.
Meanwhile, is this what Shōta Imanaga is going to be now? A guy who gives up a home run every time he pitches in a game? The lefty was amazing in 2024, began this year with good numbers once again, but ever since he returned from the injured list Imanaga has been serving up batting practice.
From July 25 through the end of the regular season, Imanaga allowed 20 home runs in 69.2 innings. That was four more home runs than any other starting pitcher in baseball.
The stuff has just been worse. In 2024, he still gave up 27 home runs, but Imanaga struck out 174 batters and limited his walks to 28 in 173.1 innings. That resulted in a 25.1 K% and 4.0 BB%. In 2025, Imanaga's strikeout numbers declined as the left-hander ended the year with a 20.0 K%.
Imanaga's average fastball velocity decreased a full mph from 2024 as well going from 91.9mph to 90.8mph. You can certainly get away with more mistakes the harder you throw. Once that fastball loses its sting, you get this.
The Cubs signed Imanaga to a unique contract that includes both team and player options. So, do the Cubs trust Imanaga enough to extend his contract for three more years or do they leave it up to him and ultimately have the lefty leave in free agency.
Via MLB Trade Rumors.
Nominally, the contract is a four-year deal worth that guarantees the southpaw $53MM. That’s not quite how the contract actually works in practice. After the 2025 season, the Cubs face a decision on whether to pick up a three-year, $57MM club option that covers the 2026-28 seasons. If Chicago declines, Imanaga will have a $15MM player option for 2026. If that player option is executed, then there’s another fork in the road ahead. After 2026, the Cubs would have to decide on a two-year, $42MM club option for 2027-28. If they decline that, Imanaga can pick up a $15MM player option for 2027.
All of that is to say that the Cubs are facing a significant decision this offseason. If they don’t exercise their three-year option on Imanaga’s services, he’s all but certain to decline that player option and return to free agency.
That's a $19 million AAV for three more years that the Cubs will lock into if they pick up the option after this year. A big decision that seemed like a no-brainer three months ago. Now, it's an uncomfortable thought.
