NL West Team Emerges as Favorite to Sign Shōta Imanaga: Report

Getty The San Francisco Giants are the favorite to sign Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

Japanese left-hander Shōta Imanaga has only a few days left to sign with an MLB team before his posting period expires on January 11. The San Francisco Giants have emerged as the front-runner to land Imanaga, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported on January 8. 

“It’s all pointing to the Giants,” a source told Feinsand. “They missed out on [Shohei] Ohtani and [Yoshinobu] Yamamoto, and although Imanaga isn’t on the same level as those guys, they don’t want to miss out again.”

Imanaga, 30, has pitched for Japan’s Yokohama DeNA BayStars since 2016 and compiled a 64-50 record with a 3.18 ERA in 165 career games in Nippon Professional Baseball. He is a two-time NPB All-Star, including last season when he recorded a 2.66 ERA in 24 starts with 188 strikeouts in 159 innings. Imanaga also started the championship game in last spring’s World Baseball Classic, which Team Japan won over the United States.

The Giants, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Angels are seen as finalists to sign Imanaga, according to Feinsand. San Francisco’s status as the emerging favorite comes as Imanaga’s deadline to sign with an MLB team for the upcoming season is set to expire on Thursday at 5 p.m. ET. If he does not sign with an MLB team by this time, he’ll be returned to his Japanese team, the BayStars.

Any MLB team that signs Imanaga will be required to pay a posting fee to the BayStars. According to The Athletic, the fee will amount to 20 percent of his MLB contract’s first $25 million, 17.5 percent of the next $25 million and 15 percent of anything over $50 million.

Shōta Imanaga Expected To Command Over $100 Million

ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on January 3 that Imanaga’s potential MLB contract is “likely to reach nine figures.” A contract of $100 million would result in a posting fee of $16.875 million paid to the BayStars by whichever team signs Imanaga. For comparison, the $325 million deal Japanese star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this offseason required LA to pay an additional $50.6 million posting fee to the Orix Buffaloes.

In Feinsand’s report, he says that Imanaga’s deal is not expected to be for more money than remaining top free agent starters Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery.

Giants Offseason Already Includes Two Major Additions

Imanaga’s potential signing with the Giants would follow the team’s trade made last week for 2021 American League Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray. Imanaga would still be a much-needed upgrade to the Giants rotation since Ray is expected to be out until July while he recovers from Tommy John surgery. 

Alex Cobb, who started 28 games for San Francisco last season, is also expected to miss the start of the 2024 season due to a hip injury. Imanaga plus an eventual healthy Ray and Cobb alongside incumbent ace Logan Webb, the runner up for last season’s NL Cy Young Award, would give the Giants a formidable starting rotation. 

Before trading for Ray, the first splash made by the Giants this offseason was their signing of Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee to a six-year, $113 million contract.