ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Cubs were not certain if Shota Imanaga was going to agree to the one-year offer on the table last month or take his chances in free agency. As Chicago’s front office began its search for arms on multiple fronts, it was a real possibility that the lefty would opt for the latter.

Ultimately, Imanaga accepted the $22.025 million qualifying offer on Nov. 18, filling a vacancy in the rotation temporarily created by a series of decisions to decline options in his original contract. Sitting in his suite at the Signia by Hilton Orlando on Monday evening, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer shot down the idea that his front office was caught off-guard by Imanaga’s decision to take the deal.

“We weren’t blindsided at all,” Hoyer said.

The ripple effect was

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