MLB Hot Stove Notes: Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher Shota Imanaga posted, free to sign in the MLB
Shota Imanaga has officially been posted by the Nippon Professional Baseball Legaue’s Yokohama DeNA Baystars, according to Yaku Cosmopolitan. The left-hander is now free to sign with any MLB team. He is expected to draw ton of interest across the league.
"The (Yokohama DeNA) BayStars plan to post Shōta Imanaga this offseason, and Major League teams generally view him as a No. 2 or 3 starter," MLB.com's Jon Morosi wrote in September. "Yakyu Cosmopolitan reported last week that 10 teams scouted Imanaga’s most recent start: the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Rangers, Phillies, Cubs, Reds, D-backs, Giants and Padres."
The 30-year-old posted a 2.71 ERA with 163 strikeouts, 21 walks, 1.02 WHIP in 136 innings spanning over 20 starts this season. He was also a member of Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic.
During the World Baseball Classic, he finished with a 3.00 ERA across 6.0 innings pitched and had seven strikeouts. The lefty was the winning pitcher against Team USA in the championship game.
The Japanese star offers a fastball that sits in the mid-to-low 90’s, a splitter, a cutter and a curveball. The southpaw focuses on controlling the strike zone to handle opposing hitters versus dominating the zone. Command is his true calling card which, should bode well for him long term.
The projections for Imanaga is different depending on where you look. Tim Britton of The Athletic has projected a deal will be at four-years for $54 million. MLB Trade Rumors has him landing a five-year, $85 million deal.
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