A pitcher and an outfielder who could have helped the Rangers are not going to be available this winter, as Shota Imanaga and Trent Grisham both accepted qualifying offers on Tuesday.
At $22.025 million, Imanaga will remain with the Chicago Cubs, and center-fielder Trent Grisham took the same amount to stay with the New York Yankees.
Shota Imanaga couldn’t match his stellar first season in the majors
Imanaga finished his all-star rookie season in Chicago with a 15-3 record, 2.91 ERA, and 1.02 WHIP in 173 innings pitched. He also finished 5th and 4th in the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards, respectively. Inevitably, it was going to be difficult for Imanaga to match or improve on those numbers during his sophomore campaign.
While still solid in 2025, his 9-8 record and 3.72 ERA were not what the Cubbies had hoped for, and his fall off made it an easier decision for the lefty to go ahead and take the qualifying deal to stay in the Windy City, although some were surprised when the Cubs didn’t extend he 32-year-old from Japan.
He would have been a great fit in the Rangers’ rotation as the team needs a quality left-hander to go along with righties Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Tyler Mahle, and Jack Leiter.
Trent Grisham is coming off a career year, but isn’t going to be a free agent
Burleson, Texas native and Richland Hills High graduate Trent Grisham picked a great season to have a breakout year at the plate, smacking a career-best 34 homers and driving in 74 runs.
The Bronx Bombers acknowledged his achievements, offering $22.05 million for one year as a qualifying offer. Grisham’s acceptance isn’t surprising, as he far exceeded expectations and doesn’t have a track record to demand much more on the open market.
Grisham might have given the Rangers a hometown discount to return to the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex and give the lineup a powerful left-handed bat, but he is staying put in the Big Apple.
Chris Young can now erase those two names from the whiteboard and continue to hone in on the free agents that remain.
