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Shota Imanaga Accepts Cubs Qualifying Offer
Left-hander Shota Imanaga accepted the Chicago Cubs' one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer on Tuesday and will return to the team for the 2026 season, according to The Athletic's Patrick Mooney. The Cubs made Imanaga a free agent earlier this offseason by declining his three-year, $57.5 million option, but now he'll return to the Windy City for at least one more year. The 32-year-old Japanese left-hander was an All-Star in his first year in the big leagues in 2024, but he wasn't quite as good in 2025. He missed time in the first half of the season due to injury and just wasn't the same in the second half. Imanaga finished 9-8 with a 3.73 ERA (4.86 FIP) and 0.99 WHIP with 117 strikeouts and 26 walks in 25 starts covering 144 2/3 frames. Imanaga's strikeout rate dropped from 25.1% in 2024 to 20% in 2025, but his walk rate remained elite, so a bounce back is entirely possible in 2026 in his third year in Chicago.
Source: The Athletic - Patrick Mooney
Source: The Athletic - Patrick Mooney
