As the Chicago Cubs look toward the future, the situation with pitcher Shota Imanaga remains uncertain. After a standout but uneven two-season stint, both sides are evaluating their next steps — and the possibility of continuing their partnership is still very much on the table.
Following the World Series, the Cubs and Imanaga each had the option to exercise their respective clauses on his contract. The Cubs decided not to pick up their team option, and Imanaga, in turn, declined his player option. However, the Cubs have not completely shut the door on the left-handed pitcher. They extended a qualifying offer worth $22.025 million, giving Imanaga until November 18 to make a decision.
At the general managers’ meetings in Las Vegas, Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer addressed the club’s decision to decline Imanaga’s option and discussed the possibility of re-signing him. Hoyer made it clear that both sides had a mutual understanding of the situation, with neither feeling that the respective options reflected the right value.
“WE OBVIOUSLY VALUE SHOTA A TON. I THINK HE WAS AMAZING FOR US AS A PITCHER, AS A TEAMMATE, AND, YOU KNOW, I DON’T WANT TO CLOSE THAT DOOR COMPLETELY BY ANY STRETCH.” — Jed Hoyer
Hoyer emphasized that the Cubs had extended a qualifying offer to Imanaga, indicating their openness to re-signing him. “Clearly, we made him a qualifying offer and there’s nothing that prohibits us from still talking to him,” Hoyer continued. “I don’t want to close that door, but obviously, like I said, the way that we valued the club option, the way he valued the player option, [we] obviously didn’t meet up there.”
A Complex Contract and a Tale of Two Seasons
The Cubs’ decision came after they declined a three-year option in Imanaga’s 2023 contract, which would have tied them to the pitcher for three more years at a cost of $57.75 million. After the Cubs turned down the option, Imanaga had the chance to trigger his own one-year option worth $15.25 million but chose to decline it. This led to the Cubs offering him a qualifying offer that was greater than the value of both the one-year option and the average annual value of the three-year deal they declined.
Imanaga’s time with the Cubs has been a mixture of brilliance and setbacks.
- 2024 (Rookie Season): His rookie campaign was outstanding, finishing 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA in 29 starts, earning an All-Star selection, a fourth-place finish in National League Rookie of the Year voting, and a fifth-place finish in NL Cy Young voting.
- 2025 (Sophomore Season): The 2025 season was more challenging. After missing over a month with a hamstring injury, Imanaga posted a 9-8 record with a 3.73 ERA in 25 starts, with his strikeout rate per nine innings dropping from 9.0 in 2024 to 7.3 in 2025.
Though his 2025 season didn’t match the brilliance of his rookie campaign, the Cubs clearly still have faith in Imanaga’s potential. The decision now lies with the pitcher: will he accept the qualifying offer and remain with the Cubs, or will he test the waters of free agency? For the Cubs, the door is still open.
