The Chicago Cubs made the signing of Japanese left-hander Shōta Imanaga official on Thursday, just hours before the official deadline for the starting pitcher to make the jump from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) to MLB.
Imanaga received a four-year deal worth a reported $53 million, which includes multiple options that could increase the value of the contract.
After two years, the Cubs have an option to extend the contract to $80 million over five years, and if that is declined Imanaga, can opt out into free agency. The same clause exists following the third season.
Although it is less than the reported $100 million Imanaga was expected to receive, it lines up more with the early projections of what his contract would look like. He also reportedly turned down more lucrative offers elsewhere to join the Cubs.
At one point, the Los Angeles Dodgers were interested in the left-hander, even after signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, but backed out of the discussions near the end. They also viewed him as a potential fallback option in case they missed out on their top targets.
The San Francisco Giants were also believed to be the front-runners to land Imanaga, but were not part of his final decision. The Los Angeles Angels were also in the mix up until the final days.
It appeared Imanaga’s decision came down to the Cubs and Boston Red Sox, along with a few mystery teams, before he decided to join Chicago. The Cubs have been searching for starting pitching all offseason and were part of the discussions for both Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani.
Imanaga was posted by the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of NPB on November 27, 2023 and had until January 11, 2024 to make his deal official.
The 30-year-old is coming off a strong season that saw him go 7-4 with a 2.80 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 174 strikeouts in 148 innings pitched. He also pitched for Team Japan during the 2023 World Baseball Classic and started against the United States in the Gold Medal Game.
Imanaga was selected by the BayStars with the first pick in the 2015 NPB Draft. Over parts of eight seasons, he went 64-50 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 1,002.2 innings across 165 games.
Chicago Cubs owe posting fee for signing Shōta Imanaga
After signing Imanaga, the Cubs are required to pay the BayStars a posting fee that is equal to 20% of the contract’s first $25 million, 17.5% of the next $25 million and 15% of any additional dollars.
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