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The race to sign Japanese star Shōta Imanaga is reportedly down to four teams.
Per Jim Bowden of CBS Sports HQ and MLB Network Radio, the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Angels are the finalists for the left-handed pitcher.
The clock is ticking for Imanaga to make a decision because his 45-day posting window is set to expire on Jan. 11. If a deal with an MLB team isn’t agreed to by that date, he will return to the Yokohama DeNA BayStars for the 2024 season.
Per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, “no one” in MLB is expecting that to be the outcome.
Each of the four finalists for Imanaga has a glaring need in the starting rotation. The Angels are perhaps the most curious team in this group simply because they would seem to be the farthest away from being a playoff contender, especially after losing Shohei Ohtani.
But the Angels are a team that is notorious for making puzzling decisions. They have also been linked to reigning NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell.
The Giants have been in on virtually every marquee free agent over the past two seasons, yet have come up empty-handed constantly. They did sign 2022 KBO MVP Jung-Hoo Lee to a six-year, $113 million deal earlier this offseason to upgrade their outfield.
Logan Webb and Alex Cobb are the only pitchers still on the Giants’ roster from last season who threw at least 100 innings.
Marcus Stroman opted out of his contract early in the offseason, leaving a void for the Cubs to fill. They also need more high-end depth behind Justin Steele. Jameson Taillon, who signed a four-year, $68 million deal last offseason, was a disappointment with a 4.84 ERA In 2023.
Boston recently added to its rotation by signing Lucas Giolito after trading Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves. The team still needs a pitcher capable of leading a starting rotation. None of its five projected starters going into next season had an ERA under 4.00 in 2023.
The 30-year-old Imanaga has a 3.18 ERA and 1,021 strikeouts in 1,002.2 innings in eight seasons with Yokohama. He led the Central League with 174 strikeouts during the 2023 campaign.
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