MLB rumors: Giants eyeing Imai; Cubs plan to add pitching; could Helsley start?

Major League Baseball’s offseason is likely to slow down for the upcoming holiday, but teams still have a few days to get some winter shopping done before Thanksgiving. Below, CBS Sports has compiled all of Sunday’s most notable rumors and transactions in one convenient place.

Tigers, others interested in Helsley as starter

The Tigers are one of several teams who are interested in signing and converting reliever Ryan Helsley into a starter, according to The Athletic. 

Helsley, 31, has never started a game in the majors and hasn’t made a professional start at any level since 2018. Nevertheless, teams are hopeful that he can follow in the cleatprints of Reynaldo López, Michael King, and Clay Holmes, among others, and make the transition to the rotation.

Helsley split last season between the Cardinals and Mets, amassing a 4.50 ERA (92 ERA+) and a 2.52 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 58 appearances. He’s struggled with command throughout his career, issuing nearly four walks per nine innings. Helsley does have three pitches that grade as average or better: his fastball and two breaking balls, though he seldom uses his curveball.

The Tigers are believed to be in pursuit of a starting pitcher regardless of whether or not they keep ace Tarik Skubal, who is slated to hit free agency after next season. 

Giants interested in Imai

You can count the Giants among the suitors for incoming Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi. Imai, 27, was recently posted for MLB consideration by NPB’s Saitama Seibu Lions. He’ll have until Jan. 2 to sign a deal with an MLB team. The Lions will receive a posting fee proportional to the value of his signed contract.

Here’s what CBS Sports wrote about Imai when ranking him as the 12th-best available free agent:

Relative to how front offices view hitters transferring from NPB, pitchers are a near-certain quantity. There are too many success stories to fixate on the differences in the ball and the schedule or to suggest it’ll have a devastating effect on the talent in question. That’s good news for Imai’s stock. He’s fresh off a dominant season that saw him post a 1.92 ERA and a 3.96 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 163 innings. He possesses mid-90s velocity and a forkball-like slider he delivers from a low release point. Imai isn’t far removed from struggling with his command (it took until his seventh professional season for him to walk fewer than four batters per nine innings), but teams confident in his strikethrowing ability could envision him being at least a No. 3 starter as soon as next spring.

Logan Webb and Robbie Ray will lead the San Francisco rotation in 2026 and Landen Roupp looked like a solid starter before an August injury, but beyond that is a question mark.

The Giants are likely to face stiff competition for Imai’s services, with the usual highrollers — the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, and Cubs — looking like potential suitors as well.

The Giants have made several splashes since installing longtime catcher Buster Posey as their top executive. Those include signing shortstop Willy Adames, trading for infielder Rafael Devers, and hiring former college coach Tony Vitello as their new skipper.

Cubs seek top starter

The Cubs have already added a few notable pitchers to their staff this winter, with left-handed starter Shota Imanaga returning after accepting the qualifying offer and reliever Phil Maton agreeing to a multi-year pact. Yet that doesn’t mean Chicago is done shopping for quality arms. 

Rather, the Cubs continue to seek a front-of-the-rotation starter, according to The Athletic’s Sadahev Sharma.

If the Cubs add their starter through free agency, they could pursue Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease, Michael King, Ranger Suárez, or Zac Gallen, among other options. Sharma notes that it’s possible the Cubs’ addition comes through a trade, however, going so far as to name Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera as a potential target. 

The Cubs rotation currently consists of Imanaga, Horton, Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, and either Colin Rea or Javier Assad. Justin Steele, who had elbow surgery last spring, is expected back at some point during the summer, too.