Red Sox reportedly 1 of 4 finalists for LHP Shota Imanaga
Imanaga’s posting period will close on January 11.
The Red Sox are reportedly a finalist to sign a Japanese left-handed pitcher, according to one MLB insider.
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Boston is one of four clubs in the running for Shota Imanaga, per The Athletic’s Jim Bowden. The Cubs, Angels, and Giants are the other three teams listed as finalists for the southpaw.
Imanaga’s posting window closes on Jan. 11, the deadline MLB teams have to sign him. The 30-year-old was posted by his former team, Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yokohama DeNA BayStars, following the 2023 season.
The eight-year NPB veteran could reportedly ink a contract worth over $100 million, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Levi Weaver. The required posting fee paid by the team that signs him would be $16.875 million for a $100 million deal.
Despite the possibility of earning a nine-figure contract, Imanaga will presumably slot in as a No. 3 or 4 starter in a MLB team’s rotation.
In 2023, he recorded a 2.80 earned run average and a 7-4 record over 22 appearances. Imanaga logged 148 innings of work last year and pitched two complete games.
His 174 strikeouts earned him the title of NPB’s Central League strikeout champion last season.
Over Imanaga’s baseball career, he has accumulated a 64-50 record and thrown over 1,000 innings in 165 games. The hurler owns a career 3.18 ERA, 1.118 WHIP, and an average of 9.2 strikeouts per nine.
While Imanaga is not the ace the Red Sox are on the hunt for this offseason, Boston’s rotation needs bodies to anchor it. The team relied on its bullpen too often last season as its starters struggled to throw quality starts.
With the departure of Chris Sale, the Red Sox could easily slot Imanaga into its starting five in the No. 3 or 4 spot. Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito are the only current surefire starting arms in Boston’s rotation with players like Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck, Garrett Whitlock, and Nick Pivetta on the bubble.
Nonetheless, the Red Sox have seemed hesitant to hand out major contracts to free agents this offseason. Imanaga seems like a good fit if Boston is willing to pay the market price for him.
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