"Cy Imanaga" "We have ‘Sho’ at home" - Cubs fans ecstatic as team makes Shota Imanaga signing official

It's been a relatively quiet free agency cycle for most teams, and the Chicago Cubs were no different. That is, until today when they announced the signing of Japanese superstar Shota Imanaga. It's the first major move of their offseason, and it has fans excited.

Imanaga comes over from the Yokohama Baystars on a four-year deal. His MLB posting date was coming up soon, so a team needed to sign him sooner rather than later and the Cubs obliged.

They were almost a playoff team last year and they have a talented nucleus of players. Adding Imanaga suggests that the team believes there's brighter days ahead and they want the pitcher around for them. The fan base tends to agree.

The Cubs have a bright future and the addition of Imanaga has fans buzzing. Could they soon return to the glory that got them the World Series crown in 2016?

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What's next for Cubs after Shota Imanaga signing?

The Chicago Cubs have finally added Shota Imanaga, but they're also one of the few teams that's good enough to try it and has a farm deep enough to be able to afford a trade for Dylan Cease. The offseason certainly doesn't have to end here.

Shota Imanaga has officially joined the Chicago Cubs

Many other fans in the replies to that initial announcement were clamoring for the team to bring Cody Bellinger back, and there's certainly some steam to that. He was excellent for them and other teams are seemingly a little bit hesitant.

That does two things. First, it makes the Cubs a more attractive suitor. Second, it lowers Bellinger's price point. That means the Cubs could bring him back on a much more team-friendly deal and be able to continue adding in the future.

If he does come back, he'd be a part of the core that Imanaga, Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner and others are a part of. After a few really dry years, things would start to look much more positive on the South Side if that were the case.