The Chicago Cubs seem to have made one of many largest strikes of the MLB offseason Tuesday after the staff tentatively agreed to a contract with Japanese left-hander Shota Imanaga, in keeping with a number of experiences.
The southpaw would nonetheless must endure a medical overview, scheduled for Thursday in Chicago.
Imanaga spent the previous eight seasons in Nippon Skilled Baseball, Japan’s highest degree of baseball extensively thought-about the second-best baseball league on the earth behind MLB.
He posted a 3.18 ERA in 1,002⅔ innings in his time in NPB.
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Though Imanaga is just not as extremely considered compatriot Yoshinobu Yamamoto, he’s nonetheless an intriguing potential mid-rotation starter for the Cubs. Yamamoto signed a profitable take care of the Dodgers earlier this offseason.
The Dodgers additionally signed pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani to an unprecedented long-term contract. The 2-time American League MVP spent the primary six years of his skilled baseball profession within the U.S. with the Los Angeles Angels.
The 30-year-old Imanaga throws quite a lot of pitches successfully. His fastball has reached speeds within the mid-90s, and he may also throw an efficient splitter, slider and curveball.
Imanaga underwent a process in 2020 to restore his broken shoulder, and he missed the COVID-delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Imanaga competed within the 2023 World Baseball Traditional, beginning in opposition to the U.S. within the gold medal recreation.
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