Welcome back to the Cubs Beat newsletter. Jordan Bastian has covered baseball for MLB.com since 2005, including the Cubs since the 2019 season.

MESA, Ariz. -- There is usually a small amount of media observing bullpen sessions at Cubs camp on any given morning in Spring Training. The scene on Wednesday was less common. The line of cameras and reporters spanned nearly the entire length of the sidewalk that runs adjacent to the main practice mounds.

The focus of everyone’s attention was lefty Shota Imanaga, who methodically worked through his delivery and fired pitches to veteran catcher Yan Gomes. Imanaga came to the Cubs last month via a four-year, $53 million contract to help shore up a rotation that will be critical in Chicago’s chances of pushing for the playoffs.

“Just seeing his stuff, I think it's come as advertised,” Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said. “It's just a really unique fastball. We're just trying to talk through ways we think he can continue to use it in effective ways. And then just seeing the rest of the repertoire, he's got a complete repertoire. He's a really complete package of a pitcher.”

Imanaga is known for his splitter, but he also features a slider and curve. The lefty said on Wednesday morning via an interpreter that he anticipates an adjustment period with the latter two breaking pitches this spring as he gets used to throwing the ball used in the Majors. As for his fastball, the pitch sits in the mid-90s range with high spin.

Looking at data from Imanaga’s outings in the World Baseball Classic, the 5-foot-10 Imanaga averaged 94.4 mph with a spin rate of 2,566 rpm. In the 2023 MLB season, lefty starters averaged 92.9 mph with 2,234 rpm on four-seam fastballs. Hottovy said Imanaga’s heater has a rising effect, which can toy with a hitter’s timing.

“The way he pitches and the movement he creates,” Hottovy said, “it's going to play harder than it seems, right? It's just one of those rising, riding fastballs that never seem to come down. Yan caught him today and even mentioned that he just felt like he was squeezing where he thought the ball was going to be, and it kind of wasn't clean. It, like, rattled a little bit.

“He was like, ‘Man, it does get on you. It gets there a little quicker than you assume.’ I think from a data perspective, you kind of see that, but then to hear that from the catcher [is good feedback].”

• Get to know Shota Imanaga

While Gomes agreed that the lefty’s fastball comes “as advertised” after Wednesday’s session, the veteran catcher felt his main task right now was to learn Imanaga’s personality more than his pitches.

“I've just got to get to know him and then we'll take the next step when that time comes of working on pitches,” Gomes said. “I know him and Tommy and those guys have been working really hard on that already. But my purpose right now is just to get to know him.”

Cubs fans remember the Dexter Fowler moment ahead of the 2016 season. As players gathered on a practice field in Mesa on the morning of Feb. 25 that spring, he arrived unexpectedly, having just signed a contract to return as Chicago’s center fielder.

Eight years later, might free agent Cody Bellinger have a similar entrance?

“The guys that played with Belli last year, obviously want him here again,” Cubs lefty Justin Steele said. “He was just such a great friend, great teammate, great clubhouse presence for us. And obviously what he did on the field was really special.”

During the spring-opening press conference on Wednesday, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer acknowledged that he remains in contact with the representatives of multiple free agents. Whether something comes to fruition -- with Bellinger or anyone else -- is harder to predict.

“We’re trying to focus on the guys that are here,” Hoyer said.

That has not stopped other players from discussing the concept of bringing Bellinger back after his strong 2023 showing for the Cubs. Shortstop Dansby Swanson said on stage at Cubs Convention last month that “we’ve got to re-sign Belli.” Second baseman Nico Hoerner said it would “be amazing” if the ballclub brought Bellinger back.

That was even echoed by center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, whose path to playing time could be impacted if Bellinger did return.

“I love Cody. That’s my friend -- bottom line,” Crow-Armstrong said. “He was only ever really good to me as a friend, but also as a teammate and guy in the clubhouse. You hear the dudes talk about him. Everybody loves that guy. … If Cody comes back, that’s great. That gives us a better chance to win.”

Marquee Sports Network announced that it plans on airing 27 of the Cubs’ Spring Training games this spring. That includes the spring opener on Feb. 23 against the White Sox, the Spring Breakout prospect showcase on March 15 against the White Sox, and the spring-concluding exhibitions on March 25-26 against the rival Cardinals. More info is available on Marquee’s website.

• Manager Craig Counsell oversees first official workout, as Cubs look to “turn page.” Read more >>

• New faces arrive for Cubs, but are more on the way? Read more >>

• A way-too-early projection of how the Opening Day roster could look. Read more >>

• MLB Pipeline picks its “prospect to watch” in every camp. Read more >>

• Breaking down every team’s impact moves this offseason. Read more >>

“We struggled in September and fell a game short with a team that I feel like probably should have been in the postseason. And I think we've added some really good players this winter. I do think that we have a lot of young players and some young veteran players that I think have a chance to take real steps forward. I think that's the most exciting thing for me, is I feel like we have a deep roster, and we have a deep roster of players that I think have a chance to continue to get better. And that gives me a lot of hope that we can accomplish this year what we couldn't last year.” -- Hoyer, on the Cubs’ outlook for this season

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