Cubs Named Finalist for Top Remaining Japanese Free Agent

At least when it comes to Japanese free agent Shota Imanaga, everyone knows there is a definitive deadline to when he has to sign a deal. The 30-year-old starting pitcher must be under contract by Jan. 11, when his 45-day negotiating window with MLB teams officially ends. With that date less than a week away, the Imanaga rumors are picking up steam and the Cubs are reportedly one of the four finalists to sign the left-handed pitcher.

According to The Athletic's Jim Bowden, the Cubs, along with the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox are the teams left who are in on Imanaga.

Imanaga may have first gotten on your radar during the 2023 World Baseball Classic, when he pitched for the Japanese team and was the winning pitcher against the United States in the championship game. Imanaga has had a strong career in Japan, recording a 3.18 ERA in more than 1,000 innings of work. This past season, Imanaga had a 2.66 ERA in 159 innings, with an incredible ratio of 188 strikeouts to 24 walks.

The Cubs, as the majority of MLB teams, have been inactive through the first few months of free agency and that has led to speculation that the asking price for certain free agents has been too much for teams to entertain. However, because Imanaga does have a deadline to sign, both sides have to meet somewhere in the middle soon, which may finally be happening with less than a week to go until the pitcher's negotiating window closes.

After the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, analysts within the baseball industry began to speculate that Imanaga would eventually land a deal worth more than $100 million. His comp to begin the offseason was Kodai Senga, who signed last year with the New York Mets for $75 million.

However, there has recently been a push back on that $100 million figure for Imanaga.

Via Joel Sherman in the New York Post.

The Japanese free agent was said to be looking for a contract of $100 million. But there is growing belief that the price might drop into a lower range as teams have continued to have concerns lingering from his 2020 shoulder surgery and if his style of working up in the zone will make him particularly homer susceptible in MLB.

So, maybe the Cubs are offering $80-85 million?

I will say, Bowden including the Cubs as one of the finalists may be the most positive development surrounding the Cubs and Imanage since they were first connected in 2023. Earlier this week, ESPN's Jeff Passan did not mention the Cubs when discussing potential spots for Imanaga, and then The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal said the Cubs weren't seen as a likely landing spot for the lefty.

Via The Athletic.

Barring a last-minute reversal, a league source said Chicago is not seen as a likely landing spot for Shota Imanaga, the Japanese pitcher who will likely receive a contract worth at least $100 million, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.

So, the Cubs may be in, but maybe not willing to get to that $100 million deal that Imanaga wants?

The only good thing about this ordeal is that it will have a definitive end soon. Imanaga has to agree to a contract and pass his physical by next Thursday night. So, expect a reported agreement to be revealed by early next week.