The New York Yankees and the rest of the baseball world were hit with some unexpected news at the onset of the offseason.
Chicago Cubs left-handed pitcher Shota Imanaga is set to reach free agency after the club declined to pick up a three-year option for $57 million in his contract, while the 32-year-old subsequently turned down a $15 million player option for the 2026 campaign, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
Breaking Cubs news: Lefty starter Shota Imanaga is a free agent, sources tell ESPN. The team rejected their option to extend his contract out to a fifth year. That triggered his ability to exercise a $15 million player option for 2026. He declined that as well.
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) November 4, 2025
Imanaga now becomes one of the more intriguing starters on the open market this winter, and the Yankees should look into signing the former All-Star.
Aug 21, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Before joining the Cubs ahead of the 2024 campaign on a four-year, $53 million deal that included those aforementioned options, Imanaga was a star for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. He was an All-Star on two occasions with the club (2019, 2023) and pitched to a 3.18 ERA over 165 games and eight seasons.
As a rookie in MLB with the Cubs last year, Imanaga recorded a 2.91 ERA in 173 1/3 innings and 29 outings. He earned an All-Star nod as a result while also finishing fourth and fifth in NL Rookie of the Year and NL Cy Young Award voting, respectively.
In 2025, Imanaga posted a 3.73 ERA across 25 starts and 144 2/3 frames during the regular season for Chicago. In the playoffs, he put up an 8.10 ERA over two appearances (one start).
Why Yankees Should Pursue Imanaga
It’s no secret that the Yankees could use some help in their rotation heading into the 2026 campaign, as both Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole are set to miss the start of the year while recovering from their respective injuries.
Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Luis Gil and Will Warren are all pretty safe bets to secure rotation spots at the beginning of the campaign barring any offseason trades, but there’s room for a significant addition to that group even after Rodón and Cole return.
While Imanaga regressed from 2024 to 2025, he’d still make for a solid mid-rotation arm who has proven he can perform at a high level in the league.
There would be little pressure for him to step up as an ace on the Yankees, unlike his situation in Chicago, which perhaps could lead to a boost in his numbers as well.
It remains to be seen if the Cubs issue Imanaga a qualifying offer, which could impact New York’s decision on whether or not to pursue him given that they’d have to part ways with a draft pick in order to sign him should Chicago do so, but he’s otherwise a good fit in The Bronx.
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