The Cubs are poised to add an impact player with their first major-league free agent signing of the offseason. They are nearing a deal with left-hander Shōta Imanaga, according to multiple reports. The deal would not be finalized until he underwent a physical.
Teams involved in the late stages of Imanaga’s free agency reportedly also included the Red Sox, Giants and Angels, although there were conflicting reports on which were finalists. Imanaga’s 45-day posting is set to expire Thursday.
Imanaga, 30, was generally considered at least a Top-10 free agent starter when he was posted to MLB earlier this winter. The lefty is making the transition after eight seasons in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball.
When a player comes over from NPB, there is some measure of guesswork to project how he will adjust to the change in competition, new travel demands, a different baseball, and a host of off-the-field adjustments. But teams at least got a glimpse of how Imanaga would fare against MLB hitters during the World Baseball Classic last spring.
Imanaga appeared in three games for Japan in the 2023 WBC, opening against the United States in the championship. Imanaga held Team USA’s star-studded lineup to one run, scored on a solo homer from Trea Turner, in two innings.
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer visited Japan in September to watch several players, in a trip he had been planning for “quite a while.”
“It’s a great baseball culture,” Hoyer said after returning, “and obviously, they have a lot of really good players, and making sure that’s a market that we are actively involved in is something that’s really important.”
Two years ago, the Cubs signed outfielder Seiya Suzuki out of Japan, in their biggest offseason move before the 2022 season, taking an initial step in that process.
“When I go over there, it’s not about scouting,” Hoyer said last month. “We have a ton of video and great scouts. Usually, it’s about relationships.”
Now, assuming the deal goes through, Imanaga is set to bolster the Cubs rotation, which lost Marcus Stroman when he opted out of the last year of his deal to become a free agent this winter.
No matter where the Cubs slot in Imanaga, his addition would immediately create depth in a rotation already headlined by Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon and Kyle Hendricks. There will be plenty of competition at the back end of the rotation this spring.
Young lefty Jordan Wicks has a chance to reclaim the starting role he seized at the end of last season. Veteran southpaw Drew Smyly or 26-year-old Hayden Wesneski could move back into the rotation spots they held at the beginning of 2023. Versatile Javier Assad could start or provide length out of the bullpen. And the Cubs have several prospects on the verge of cracking into the big-leagues.
