The Boston Red Sox might be focused on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who’s widely considered the best free agent available this Major League Baseball offseason now that Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
But there’s another highly touted Japanese pitcher on the open market who Red Sox fans should familiarize themselves with as the Yamamoto sweepstakes plays out: Shōta Imanaga.
Imanaga’s free agency is overshadowed by Yamamoto’s availability, but it’s nevertheless pertinent as the Red Sox search high and low for rotation upgrades. The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier acknowledged as much Thursday during an appearance on MLB Network.
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“I think Shōta Imanaga is also someone who’s of considerable interest to the Red Sox,” Speier said. “Someone whose pitch characteristics from Japan were quite fascinating to the team. And his performance track record and, again, lack of qualifying offer — meaning no draft pick that you would have to lose in order to sign him — also represents a form of appeal.”
Signing Imanaga wouldn’t quite move the needle as much as landing Yamamoto. Imanaga, 30, is viewed as a potential mid-rotation starter in the majors, whereas Yamamoto, 25, comes with ace-like upside.
Nevertheless, the Red Sox absolutely need to improve their rotation this offseason — something new chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has openly admitted — and Imanaga could be a valuable source of innings at a fraction of the cost. He’s certainly a viable Plan B if Yamamoto signs elsewhere, especially if signed alongside another starter, like, say, Jordan Montgomery.
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MLB Trade Rumors projected at the beginning of the offseason that Imanaga would sign a five-year, $85 million contract in free agency. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel predicted a four-year, $68 million deal.
Both estimates could prove low if Imanaga’s market grows in wake of Yamamoto’s impending decision, but they still pale in comparison to the alternative. Yamamoto looks poised to sign a contract well north of $200 million, thanks to his youth and his ceiling as a No. 1 starter after dominating in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball.
And make no mistake: Imanaga is intriguing in his own right. The 5-foot-10, 176-pound left-hander posted a 3.18 ERA and a 1.118 WHIP with 9.2 strikeouts to 2.5 walks per nine innings in 165 career appearances (1,002 2/3 innings) with NPB’s Yokohama BayStars. He pitched for Japan in the World Baseball Classic.
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The stuff isn’t overwhelming, with Imanaga’s fastball sitting in the low 90s. But he pounds the strike zone and has a deep repertoire that also includes a slider, a splitter, a curveball, a cutter and a changeup. Imanaga throws multiple variations of certain pitches, per a recent scouting report from Sports Info Solutions’ Brandon Tew, which Breslow and new Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey could find very appealing.
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“Imanaga is a strike-throwing lefty with some of the best pure stuff in the world because of his pitch movement and ability to spin the baseball,” Tew wrote last month. “Even without high-end velocity or command, Imanaga throws strikes and punches tickets which should lead to success in MLB.
“He has mid-rotation upside right now. His spot in an MLB rotation will be determined by whether he can keep the ball in the ballpark.”
All told, Imanaga might not singlehandedly change the complexion of Boston’s rotation, which is littered with question marks after an underwhelming 2023. And there’s obviously some inherent risk based on his lack of MLB experience.
But if the Red Sox strike out on Yamamoto, the clear top option remaining in free agency, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the organization shift its attention to Imanaga.
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Featured image via Sam Navarro/USA TODAY Sports Images
