The Chicago Cubs have ensured they will be compensated if two of their impending free agents sign elsewhere this offseason.
The Cubs extended qualifying offers to outfielder Kyle Tucker and left-hander Shota Imanaga before Thursday’s 4 p.m. deadline. A qualifying offer is worth $22.025 million for the 2026 season.
Tucker, who is primed to receive a big multiyear contract, surely will reject the qualifying offer, which would net them draft-pick compensation if he signs elsewhere. Imanaga faces a more challenging decision.
The Cubs declined the 32-year-old’s three-year, $57 million club option that then triggered a $15 million player option for 2026, which Imanaga also turned down to make him a free agent. The Cubs still could negotiate with Imanaga for a one- or multiyear contract to bring him back to Chicago following an underwhelming follow-up season to an All-Star performance in 2024. But Thursday’s deadline moves Imanaga a step closer to continuing his big-league career elsewhere.
Tucker, who turns 29 in January, enters free agency in a fascinating situation. The Cubs gave up a lot — former first-round pick Cam Smith, right-hander Hayden Wesneski and third baseman Isaac Paredes — for just one guaranteed season with Tucker.
His season in Cubbie blue featured its ups and downs. His stellar first-half production earned him an All-Star Game start, but injuries to his right finger/hand and calf strain limited his effectiveness in the second half. Despite those issues, Tucker still finished with a 143 OPS+, the third-highest of his career, and a .377 on-base percentage, the second best of his career, in 136 games.
As with Imanaga, Tucker and the Cubs could work out a new deal in free agency.