The baseball world is waiting for the next big free-agent domino to fall as notable names such as Blake Snell, Josh Hader, Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman remain available.
It remains to be seen whether any of those players will sign this week, but another prominent free agent will almost certainly come off the board by Thursday: Shōta Imanaga.
The Japanese left-hander’s posting period expires on Thursday at 5 p.m. ET, so if he plans to make the move to Major League Baseball, Imanaga must sign with a club prior to that deadline.
The Giants, Red Sox, Cubs and Angels have been tabbed by sources as the finalists for Imanaga, but according to one source, San Francisco might be emerging as the favorite.
“It’s all pointing to the Giants,” the source said. “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 is expected to command more than the five-year, $75 million deal that Kodai Senga signed with the Mets last offseason, though less than either Snell or Jordan Montgomery figure to get when they eventually sign.
Farhan Zaidi, the Giants’ president of baseball operations, confirmed last week that the club has “had conversations” with Imanaga’s reps, adding that the lefty has “done a really nice job over there and has a pretty active free-agent market.”
While the Giants might be emerging as the favorites for Imanaga, the Angels — who have a bigger need for a starter — can’t be counted out. Los Angeles signed Zach Plesac last week, but the rotation remains thin. The Red Sox are another club that could still make a move for Imanaga, who would become Boston’s lone left-handed starter following the recent trade of Chris Sale to the Braves and signing of Lucas Giolito.
Then there are the Mets, who got solid results from Senga in his rookie season. New York has added Luis Severino, Adrian Houser and Sean Manaea this winter, and according to a source, new president of baseball operations David Stearns is “actively trying to trade for more starting pitching.” Whether the Mets are trying to add an impactful starter or are simply seeking rotation depth remains to be seen, but they are not believed to be in the mix for Snell or Montgomery due to their respective price tags.
Imanaga is 64-50 with a 3.18 ERA in 165 games during his career in Nippon Professional Baseball from 2016-23. He posted a 2.66 ERA in 24 starts last season, striking out 188 batters in 159 innings. The left-hander also helped Team Japan to the World Baseball Classic title last spring.
