The Chicago Cubs appear to have made one of the biggest moves of the MLB offseason Tuesday after the team tentatively agreed to a contract with Japanese left-hander Shota Imanaga, according to multiple reports.
The southpaw would still need to undergo a medical review, scheduled for Thursday in Chicago.
Imanaga spent the past eight seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, Japan’s highest level of baseball widely considered the second-best baseball league in the world behind MLB.
He posted a 3.18 ERA in 1,002⅔ innings in his time in NPB.
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Shota Imanaga of Team Japan pitches in the first inning against Team USA during the World Baseball Classic at loanDepot Park on March 21, 2023 in Miami, Fla. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Although Imanaga is not as highly regarded as compatriot Yoshinobu Yamamoto, he is still an intriguing potential mid-rotation starter for the Cubs. Yamamoto signed a lucrative deal with the Dodgers earlier this offseason.
The Dodgers also signed pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani to an unprecedented long-term contract. The two-time American League MVP spent the first six years of his professional baseball career in the U.S. with the Los Angeles Angels.
The 30-year-old Imanaga throws a variety of pitches effectively. His fastball has reached speeds in the mid-90s, and he can also throw an effective splitter, slider and curveball.
Shota Imanaga of Team Japan pitches in the second inning against Team USA during the World Baseball Classic championship at loanDepot Park March 21, 2023, in Miami, Fla. (Eric Espada/Getty Images)
Imanaga underwent a procedure in 2020 to repair his damaged shoulder, and he missed the COVID-delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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Imanaga competed in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, starting against the U.S. in the gold medal game.
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