New faces arrive at Cubs camp, but are more on the way?

MESA, Ariz. -- Shota Imanaga paused before stepping through a side door that leads to the Cubs’ clubhouse. The pitcher turned to a small group of fans -- one smiling and waving a Yokohama DeNA BayStars Imanaga jersey -- and indicated he would return soon.

Cheers ensued.

“The guy is just a whole vibe,” reliever Adbert Alzolay said.

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Imanaga emerged a while later and spent time signing autographs before leaving the Cubs’ complex following his workout on Tuesday morning. On the eve of the first official workout for pitchers and catchers, the majority of Chicago’s roster -- including the position players -- were already in Arizona.

And while Spring Training is essentially already in full swing for the North Siders’ group of returnees, plus the new additions like Imanaga, there is a sense that the group remains incomplete.

A pile of big-name free agents are still available, making that “offseason” label hard to peel off, even as drills and batting practice were underway on the sun-splashed diamonds.

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“As an individual, it feels like things are picking up,” Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner said. “But in a team sense, definitely, there's a lot up in the air for us and a lot of teams in baseball right now with the amount of talent that's still out there.

“And I don't think it changes the individual work too much. But obviously things do kind of fall in place once some bigger names get involved.”

Cutting to the chase: Cody Bellinger is one of those players still on the board. He starred for the Cubs on a one-year deal last season and remains a fit for a ballclub that would benefit from his lefty bat and defensive versatility.

“Yeah, we can say his name,” Hoerner said with a laugh. “I just hope that this process is what he wants and he gets what he deserves. He's been everything you could ask for from a teammate. … Obviously, I'd love to have him here -- that'd be amazing.”

Until something changes, the focus will be on the new faces who are in Cubs camp.

The biggest change comes in the leadership structure, which now includes new manager Craig Counsell, and a few new voices on his coaching staff.

Imanaga joined Chicago via a four-year, $53 million deal to help strengthen the rotation. Rookie Michael Busch was acquired from the Dodgers and will get a shot at the first-base vacancy. Veteran relievers Yency Almonte and Hector Neris were added to help the bullpen.

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Alzolay said the bullpen should benefit from having someone like Neris, who has logged at least 70 appearances (not including playoff outings) in three straight years. Alzolay also said he recently spent time poring through clips of Imanaga’s outings in Japan with Yokohama and was getting excited about seeing the lefty pitch for the Cubs.

“I really like his energy,” Alzolay said. “I really love how fired up he gets.”

They join a core group -- Dansby Swanson, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Jameson Taillon and Hoerner representing a cast signed through at least 2026 -- intent on reaching the playoffs in ‘24 after narrowly missing the cut last year.

The Cubs looked like a playoff team heading into September, but slid out of contention over the final three weeks.

“I feel like we are all carrying a chip on our shoulder,” Alzolay said. “When you don’t make it into the postseason, it was really in my mind the whole offseason. I was like, ‘It just can’t happen again. We’ve got to be there next year.’ I just feel like the whole team has the same mentality.”

Hoerner agreed that the playoffs were the clear goal. He pointed to the wealth of talent climbing the upper tiers of one of baseball’s top farm systems, combined with the experienced group in place at the big league level.

“I think we have a lot of opportunities to improve from within,” Hoerner said. “And I think that includes a lot of us that were out there a lot last year. I feel that a lot of us had solid seasons last year, but a lot of us are feeling that we have more that we can improve on. It's a group that definitely has a very high standard, so I feel good about that.”

And Hoerner would also feel good about the Cubs’ front office continuing to look to add to the roster already in place.

“Yeah, I mean, you always want the best version of your team that you can have,” he said. “As a group of players, we're going to be confident and make the most of whatever that is, but anything that's going to help us win is obviously going to be a good move.”