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Shota Imanaga may appear in the Cubs' next hype videos for free agents

LOS ANGELES — The Chicago Cubs have a certain Hollywood element to their game. A few weeks after the end of last season, pitching coach Tommy Hottovy traveled back to Chicago and stopped by the clubhouse at Wrigley Field. The batting tunnel between the home team's locker room and dugout had been converted into a production room.

The Cubs would have preferred to prepare for the next playoff game. Instead, the organization used part of last October to get a head start on upcoming free agents. Hottovy ran through his segments and contributed to personalized recruiting videos for Shota Imanaga, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and other pitchers identified as targets.

Cubs Productions may want to capture some highlights from Tuesday's 6-3 comeback win over the Los Angeles Dodgers for the next episode. The Imanaga-Yamamoto duel took place before a crowd of 51,923 at Dodger Stadium. Seiya Suzuki's two-run single was the key to an eighth-inning comeback that kept their slim postseason hopes alive. Pete Crow-Armstrong's diving catch off the right-center field wall robbed Max Muncy of a two-run home run and ended the game. Whatever the final decision, the Cubs will have great international players to call upon, and all pitchers appreciate good defense.

“With the Japanese group in particular, we talked a lot about what we would do to help the guys transition,” Hottovy said. “It was kind of an overview of how we're aware of a lot of these things. There are some challenges and some opportunities to help.”

At the time, the Cubs had no way of knowing how much Yamamoto wanted to play for the Dodgers, or that it would cost a record 12-year, $325 million contract, or how quickly and consistently Imanaga would adapt.

Imanaga (13-3, 3.03 ERA) managed three solo home runs in seven innings and kept his team in the game with a composure that amazed Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner: “Whenever something doesn't go his way, he approaches the next pitch better than anyone I've ever seen.”

A classic pitcher's duel didn't happen, as Yamamoto made his first major league start since June 15 and was limited to four innings and 68 pitches after coming off the 60-day injured list (rotator cuff strain). The Cubs have been watching and researching Yamamoto thoroughly and gathering ideas on how his game would impact him, but they have made no progress in his interview process.

“It's a fine line,” Hottovy said. “You want to give them enough information so they know you know what you're talking about. But you also don't want to give them all the secrets. Because they could go somewhere else. Every organization handles it a little differently. We try to highlight what people are doing really well and what opportunities they could have if they come to the U.S. or join our team.”

“It lays out some of the basics of what we might be able to put together. But we also don't want to tell them the whole story. Let's seduce you a little bit first. And then once we've completed that process, they can ask more specific questions.”

The Cubs put together a thoughtful pitch that resonated with Imanaga, but they waited until near the end of his 45-day negotiation period before making a four-year, $53 million offer in January. The Cubs have a 21-6 record in Imanaga's games, and manager Craig Counsell noted that the All-Star pitcher had just 25 walks in those 27 starts.

Hottovy, the longtime pitching coach who served as coordinator for the 2016 World Series team, once attended a pitch meeting with Shohei Ohtani at CAA headquarters in Los Angeles along with several Cubs officials. This was after the 2017 season, when the two-way phenom was selecting a small group of finalists. Hottovy memorized a message for Ohtani in Japanese saying how much he enjoyed the interaction and hoped to work with him in Chicago.

That same offseason, Hottovy also participated in the Cubs' pitching session for Yu Darvish in Texas before they eventually signed him to a six-year, $126 million contract. These videos, which share the perspectives of players and staff, are part of the organization's established recruiting philosophy.

“This is nothing new,” Hottovy said. “Jon Lester talks about how Theo (Epstein) sent a really cool video to get him to really come to Chicago (and learn) what it means to be a Cub. That's kind of the premise of why we do this. The guys love playing in Chicago. They love the city. There are some behind-the-scenes things you can show the guys that help.

“It will take you a long way if you show that you are willing to learn and find out about the people and their culture. But also if you show that you are really looking forward to working with them.”

Imanaga recalled through an interpreter how Darvish once advised him when they played together on the Japanese national team: “He said that when you play against great competition, you somehow lose your limits and exceed them. When I played against Yamamoto, against Ohtani and against all the great hitters on the Dodgers, I felt like that somehow happened.”

The Cubs and Dodgers will compete in the Tokyo Series that begins the 2025 season. Imanaga, who may win Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award, will almost certainly start on Opening Day. Suzuki had previously chosen the Cubs, in part because Darvish had given the team a glowing recommendation. Word of mouth is a powerful thing.

“The best form of advertising is not something you have to talk about yourself,” says Hottovy. “It's when others can talk about it and do it for you.”

(Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)

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