The Cubs have made themselves desirable to Japanese players, and their infrastructure might make a logical fit for Sasaki.

The Chicago Cubs are entering the offseason with fans who are desperate for something to be excited about. Since the curse was broken in 2016, Chicago has missed the playoffs entirely in five of the last eight seasons including the last four in a row and has not even won a postseason game since their return trip to the NLCS in 2017.

Japanese superstars have been a driving force in MLB free agency in recent years, most notably when Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto joined the Dodgers last winter, whose combined contracts totaled north of $1 billion.