Cubs reportedly showing interest in Shinnosuke Ogasawara |
Now that the holidays are here, most Major League transactions have halted. This is mainly because the front offices take a week or two off from the team to enjoy the holidays before picking things back up in January.
When that time comes, expect many big-name free agents to start signing with new teams, including Roki Sasaki, who can't sign until January 15. He remains the big fish of free agency right now, and many teams are awaiting his final decision before spending money elsewhere. Once he makes his decision, the second and third waves of free agency will come full circle, as most of these players and teams would love to have deals done well before Spring training starts. As it was reported last week, the Cubs have already met with Sasaki in Los Angeles, and they're still considered to be in the running for the prized right-hander. Sasaki may be the biggest Japanese free agent pitcher to ever come out of Japan, but he isn't the only NPB pitcher trying his luck in the United States. Left-hander Shinnosuke Ogasawara is also a free agent looking to sign with a team. Ogasawara was mentioned as a possible free-agent target earlier in the offseason, and here we are nearly two months later, and he is once again being linked to the Cubs. Given that he has the same 45-day window that every NPB player does once posted, time is starting to run out on Ogasawara since he was posted, but he has been spending the past few weeks talking with teams and working out. It's expected that he will sign right after the new year, and the Cubs have now come into play as they are one of the teams actively discussing his services for 2025 and beyond. The Cubs and Mets are two of the teams that have been the most active in discussing him, but at least 10 teams have talked with his agent and are contemplating adding him to their 2025 roster. Although he is four years older than Sasaki (27), he is still younger than most pitchers when they post here, including Shota Imanaga, who signed with the Cubs at 31. Ogasawara has been pitching in the NPB since 2016 and has had a great career thus far. While the 54-72 record may not indicate his success on the mound, many more factors go into play when talking about how good or bad a pitcher is. Take ERA, for example, as that is the leading indicator to look at as opposed to wins and losses for a starting pitcher. Despite being 18 games under .500 for his career, Ogasawara has been very good on the mound, pitching to a 3.67 career ERA. That includes a 2.76 ERA in 2022, 3.57 in 2023, and then 3.12 last season despite going just 5-11 in 2024. Another thing he does very well on the mound is limit the traffic on the bases, as he walked 22 batters compared to 82 punchouts. Those are not great strikeout numbers, which has to be a concern with him coming to the States, but this is one guy who knows how to limit traffic on the bases despite pitching to contact most of the time. That is where the Cubs could come into play in a variety of ways, and it could essentially make them one of the favorites to get him. Take the Imanaga situation, for example. There were many concerns about whether or not Imanaga would make it in the MLB due to his 93 MPH fastball and use of the top half of the zone. Granted, there were times when the home run ball was an issue, but Imanaga proved his way of pitching could work in the MLB as he went on to have a great rookie season. The same thing is what Ogasawara is hoping for as he is another crafty left-hander who sits in the 92 MPH range with his heater while going with several off-speed pitches to keep hitters off balance. Like Imanaga, home runs can be an issue, but he uses the bottom of the zone far more often, so he generates plenty of ground ball outs and soft contact. Given how Wrigley Field has played the last few years, especially last season when it was one of the most challenging places to hit a home run, adding another contact-first pitcher may not be a terrible idea. As unorthodox as it may seem when you look at how most of the rotations are constructed in today's game, the Cubs have had success with these types of guys, and with a contract expected to be in the 7-8 million range per year, it's bargain flyer type of deal.
