MLB Rumors: Shōta Imanaga, Cubs Agree to Multiyear Contract; AAV to Be in $15M Range

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Japanese star Shōta Imanaga will reportedly begin his MLB career with the Chicago Cubs.

Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today and Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the left-handed pitcher has agreed to a deal with the National League Central team.

Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported it will be a multiyear contract with an average annual value in the $15 million range.

The Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Angels were also previously seen as candidates to sign him. However, Heyman reported on Tuesday that the Giants and Angels were out of the running.

Imanaga spent the past eight seasons playing for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in Nippon Professional Baseball. The 30-year-old has been one of the best pitchers in the league during that time. He posted a 3.18 ERA with 1,021 strikeouts in 1,002.2 innings over 165 appearances.

The 2023 season was arguably the best of Imanaga’s career. He led the Central League with 174 strikeouts and had a 2.80 ERA in 149 innings.

Imanaga’s breakout moment for MLB fans came during the 2023 World Baseball Classic as the winning pitcher in the gold-medal game against the United States. He allowed four hits and one earned run with two strikeouts in two innings.

Given his age and success, Imanaga used this opportunity to cash in with a move to MLB. The BayStars officially posted him on Nov. 27, giving MLB clubs 45 days to negotiate a deal with his representatives.

The Statcast metrics from Imanaga’s three starts in the 2023 WBC are very promising as he prepares to face MLB hitters.

Per MLB.com’s David Adler, Imanaga’s fastball had an average velocity of 94.4 mph and 2,566 RPMs.

“That’s solid fastball velo for a lefty starter, and high spin, which could indicate that Imanaga has a “rising” fastball that will generate swings-and-misses. MLB left-handed starting pitchers averaged 92.9 mph and 2,234 rpm on their four-seam fastballs in 2023,” Adler wrote.

Adler noted Imanaga’s best pitch is a splitter that shares similar characteristics with the “ghost fork” ball that New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga throws.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the marquee name among Japanese players who were posted to MLB this offseason, but Imanaga is more than just a nice consolation prize for Chicago’s rotation in 2024 and beyond.

The Cubs aren’t quite in the same territory as the San Francisco Giants among teams that are always involved in talks for marquee free agents without being able to sign them, but it’s very close between the two and not a great spot to be in.

It’s unclear how involved the Cubs were in the Shohei Ohtani talks before he picked the Los Angeles Dodgers, but they were at least frequently mentioned.

All of this is to say one of MLB’s marquee franchises shouldn’t have this much trouble getting players to sign with them if they are making competitive offers. The Cubs took a step forward last season on the strength of breakout years for Justin Steele, Seiya Suzuki and a rebound from Cody Bellinger.

While Bellinger may not be back, the Cubs’ primary offseason need was in the rotation. Jameson Taillon, who signed a four-year deal last winter, was a disappointment with a 4.84 ERA. Marcus Stroman opted out of his deal to become a free agent.

There’s plenty of help from the farm system coming for their lineup. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kevin Alcántara should start 2024 in the big leagues. Owen Caissie may not be far behind.

Chicago has quality pitching options in the upper levels of the minors, including Cade Horton and Ben Brown. But high-upside starters and depth are imperative if this team wants to be a playoff contender next season.

While the signing of Imanaga won’t be enough to push the Cubs into that top tier of NL contenders, he does make them far more interesting in a very soft NL Central.