This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here . And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- The Cubs have spent years not only making their presence felt in markets overseas, but trying to make Chicago a desirable destination for players looking to make the jump to the Major Leagues.

Most recently, the Cubs saw lefty Shota Imanaga push to join the team two winters ago. That came after Chicago successfully recruited and signed outfielder Seiya Suzuki, who acknowledged that Yu Darvish’s time with the Cubs influenced his decision. This past season, the Cubs took on the Dodgers in the Tokyo Series in front of a global audience.

“When you’re talking about a market for Japanese players or Korean players,” Cub

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