The Chicago Cubs and pitcher Shota Imanaga are close to agreeing to a contract. The final details of the deal were uncertain once initially reported, however. Jon Heyman of the New York Post later provided the “complicated” deals of the contract.
“Shota Imanaga Cubs deal is complicated and includes player/team options and escalators that could boost it to way up to $80M. Guarantee suggested to be somewhere around $30M for two years by @JimBowdenGM @jonmorosi 1st said $15M/year,” Heyman wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Shota Imanaga set to join Cubs
Imanaga, 30, is a left-handed pitcher who was connected to a number of different teams before discussing this contract with the Cubs. According to Baseball Reference, Imanaga recorded a stellar 2.96 ERA while pitching in Japan.
Barring any setbacks, it appears that this deal will be made official soon. Of course, as we learned during the 2022 offseason, anything can happen until a contract is finalized.
If everything goes according to plan then Imanaga will join a Cubs rotation that includes Justin Steele, Kyle Hendricks, Jameson Taillon, and Javier Assad. Of course, Chicago could look to add more pitching help in MLB free agency. Chicago hasn't made many moves since hiring new manager Craig Counsell, so perhaps finalizing the Imanaga contract will lead to more signings before the 2024 season.
Chicago narrowly missed the playoffs during the 2023 campaign, and it will be intriguing to see if they can take a step forward in 2024. For now, we will continue to monitor and provide updates on Shota Imanaga and the Cubs contract.