Report: Shota Imanaga Likely to Command MLB Contract Worth '9 Figures' in Free Agency

Shota Imanaga is reportedly expected to land a nine-figure contract in free agency.

Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the top remaining Japanese pitcher is expected to see significant interest as teams look to spend after missing out on top names like Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

The Yokohama Bay Stars have been patient throughout the Imanaga posting process, waiting until the end of November to put the 30-year-old on the market. That waiting game will allow Imanaga to take advantage of a free-agent market flush with cash after the Dodgers bullied the market with over $1 billion in spending.

Imanaga is nowhere near the same caliber as Yamamoto, a 25-year-old with top-line-rotation stuff, but he projects as a quality starter at the back end of the rotation. He was a two-time All-Star for the Bay Stars and led the Central League in strikeouts last season.

Major markets who are scared off by the asking price of Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery may wind up taking a long look at Imanaga. Snell and Montgomery are both asking for contracts well into the nine figures, though both are more justified in that number than Imanaga given their history of MLB success.

Given the rising cost of the pitching market, deals signed by Sonny Gray (three years, $75 million with the St. Louis Cardinals) and Eduardo Rodriguez (four years, $80 million with the Arizona Diamondbacks) are quickly looking like relative bargains.