The Chicago Cubs are in a very bizarre situation with left-handed starter Shota Imanaga after the Cubs declined the rest of his contract, and then Imanaga also declined his player option. This means that Imanaga can either accept the qualifying offer from the Cubs ($22 million) or test free agency. The deadline to accept or deny the qualifying offer is November 18.
If the Cubs don’t re-sign Imanaga, it will be interesting to see what his market is like and if Chicago attempts to sign him again, but on a more team-friendly deal. In a recent predictions piece, Shota Imanaga is predicted to sign with the Texas Rangers.
Texas Rangers Linked to Shota Imanaga
In a recent predictions piece outlining the starting pitching market in MLB by Bleacher Report, writer Kerry Miller predicts Imanaga will sign a two-year, $38 million deal with the Rangers:
“Teams who play their home games at launching pads will probably keep their distance, but those with more cavernous venues should be intrigued here.
Prediction: Two years, $38M with Texas Rangers”
The issue that Miller notes about Shota Imanaga is that he gives up too many home runs and has a hard time keeping the ball out of the air. With that being said, despite dealing with a hamstring injury in 2025, Imanaga still had a solid campaign. He pitched 144.2 innings to the tune of a 3.79 ERA, but his velocity was down a tick, likely because of the hamstring injury, which is also a slight cause for concern.
Shota Imanaga is also 32, so it’s unlikely an MLB organization will sign him long-term at this juncture.
Why Imanaga Would be a Good Fit With the Texas Rangers?
As the Texas Rangers plot how they’d like the offseason to look, starting pitching has to be at the top of the wishlist. Merrill Kelly is a free agent and is expected to depart. The top of the Rangers’ rotation is strong with Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom taking charge, but after that, it thins out.
Also, as currently constructed, the Rangers’ rotation has just one lefty in Jacob Latz.
Imanaga broke out onto the MLB scene in 2024 after being posted from Japan. In 2024, he posted a 2.91 ERA over 29 starts and was looking like the next Japanese phenom. However, this bizarre contract situation with the Cubs is starting to draw doubts about Imanaga’s long-term pitching ability in MLB at his current age of 32.
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