MESA, Ariz. — The Chicago Cubs instructed Kevin Alcántara and Matt Shaw to pack for the Tokyo Series, but only one of those top prospects will have a seat on the flight to Japan.
The team plans to finalize its travel roster Tuesday morning and leave promptly following an afternoon Cactus League game. Club officials appeared to be leaning toward Alcántara over Shaw and shared their expectations with the players but delayed any announcement.
The “Next Great Cubs Team” might feature Alcántara and Shaw, who have bright futures and the ability to provide an impact this year. After next week’s season-opening series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, 160 games will be remaining. Though it’s news when a name prospect on the bubble makes the team or not, a much bigger picture is also at play.
Good day at the dish for Matt Shaw 👏
2-for-2, RBI, R, BB pic.twitter.com/jLRPuVhCuG
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 10, 2025
In what will be a flashbulb-popping moment, Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga will throw the first pitch of Major League Baseball’s 2025 campaign toward Shohei Ohtani, with Chicago matching up against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, bringing together parts of Japanese baseball’s greatest generation.
For the Cubs, it will be the culmination of years working behind the scenes to build relationships around Nippon Professional Baseball, which directed them toward Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki. Everyone is still chasing the Dodgers, the defending World Series champs with an extravagant payroll and a stunning collection of future Hall of Fame talent. This international journey can become an unforgettable team bonding exercise.
“We could go play laser tag,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said, “or we could go to Japan.”
Indeed, the Cubs hoped this would break up the monotony of spring training and give them a better sense of purpose. Saku Yanagawa, a Japanese comedian who lives in Chicago, led Sunday’s presentation on the dos and don’ts while in Tokyo. The Cubs made an impression on Yanagawa as a young kid when the team opened the 2000 season in the Tokyo Dome. Yanagawa grew up, moved to Chicago and gravitated to comedy clubs such as Zanies and The Second City.
It led Yanagawa to the theater inside the Sloan Park training complex, where he structured his cultural observations into nine innings or segments. Go visit 7-Eleven, which is more of a high-end chain in Japan. Don’t tip in restaurants. Make sure your phone stays quiet on the train.
“When you toast in Japan, the younger person must have their glass below the older person,” Counsell said. “It made (Justin) Turner feel real good because he’s always going to be on the high ground.”
Cheers to the 40-year-old Turner, the ex-Dodger the Cubs signed to a one-year deal in February after an unsuccessful pursuit of Alex Bregman. Turner is widely known for his hitting wisdom and championship pedigree, attributes that can help unite players in the clubhouse. To that end, the Tokyo itinerary includes exhibitions against the Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants, an event hosted by Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts and a welcome party organized by Imanaga and Suzuki.
“I’m really excited for everybody to experience the country that Seiya and I grew up in,” Imanaga said through an interpreter. “The idea, as of now, is to experience and soak in the traditional Japanese food.”
Establishing connections is a big part of spring training, and the Cubs made it through the first month relatively smoothly. There have been no devastating injuries or major controversies. Outside of waiting on Bregman’s decision and Sammy Sosa’s return, this camp has been kind of boring, which is how the Cubs want it to be in Mesa in the middle of March.
The Tokyo Series, however, should be electric.
“It’s definitely going to be a spectacle,” Pete Crow-Armstrong said. “I live for that kind of stuff. Japan really loves the game of baseball. I’m sure they’re all going to be very excited to see five of the best Japanese baseball players in the world take the stage.”
In visualizing this roster, Crow-Armstrong represents one of the hypothetical situations facing the Cubs. What if their high-flying outfielder crashes into the wall at the Tokyo Dome during the first inning of their first exhibition game and gets hurt? Who plays center the rest of the trip when there’s no shuttle from Triple-A Iowa?
The answer would likely be Alcántara, the gifted 6-foot-6 outfielder the Cubs acquired in the Anthony Rizzo trade. Alcántara has the advantage of already being on the 40-man roster; Shaw does not. Shaw also has not had a complete ramp-up because of the oblique issue he encountered in February, which gives the Cubs another reason to be cautious with their 2023 first-round pick.
“Once we get on the plane, that’s it,” Counsell said. “We can’t change the roster.”
During this final phase of preparations, the Cubs have to think about worst-case scenarios, but the view will change as they leave Arizona and fly to Japan.
“This is a great opportunity for all of us,” Counsell said, “as a life experience, a baseball experience, a cultural experience, a team bonding experience. Collectively, it should be a great life experience.”
(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)
