Shōta Imanaga remains one of the most interesting starting rotation options left on the free agent market, mainly because of his solid 2023 season in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and results during the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Imanaga posted a 7-4 record with a 2.80 ERA, 1.05 WHIP with 174 strikeouts in 148 innings pitched for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars this past season. The southpaw has been exceptional in his ability to limit baserunners, handing out just 1.5 walks for every nine innings pitched.
He’s garnered widespread interest around Major League Baseball, which should increase his value, and combined with how many teams need to add a starter, Imanaga is in a good spot to land a hefty contract.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, Imanaga is expected to receive a contract of at least $100 million this offseason, and the signing club will also be responsible for the posting fee as well:
On the heels of Ohtani’s heavily deferred $700 million deal and Yamamoto’s $325 million contract, executives told ESPN Imanaga is likely to reach nine figures as well.
With his posting window ending on January 11, teams are likely to make a push to sign Imanaga fairly soon. The Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs and New York Mets have all been tied to Imanaga this offseason.
The Dodgers are still reportedly looking to add to their starting rotation, however, signing another pitcher to a long-term deal could be a bit out of their range. But in the case of Imanaga, he provides an elite arsenal, with the ability to hold a mid-to-backend spot in the rotation without the high expectation.
Shōta Imanaga scouting report
The lefty uses his low-to-mid-90s four-seam fastball around 55% of the time, with elite characteristics such as a great deal of vertical movement. In the World Baseball Classic, Imanaga ranked at the top of all qualified starters in Stuff+, which bodes very well for how he projects in his role in MLB.
Imanaga also has a slider, and a sweeper variation, to throw off the timing of a hitter, while manipulating the shape of the baseball. Noted as his most impressive pitch, Imanaga’s splitter generated a 40% swing-and-miss in 2023.
He also throws a curveball, cut-fastball and a seldom-used change up. Imanaga projects as a mid-to-backend rotation arm for an MLB team, but for how exceptional his stuff has been in NPB, he’s worth the investment.
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