Cubs' Shota Imanaga to Enter 2025 MLB Free Agency After Contract Option Declined

After spending the last two years with the Chicago Cubs, starting pitcher Shota Imanaga could be on the move this offseason.

ESPN's Jesse Rogers reported that Imanaga is now a free agent after declining his $15 million player option for the 2026 season. The Cubs also reportedly rejected their option to extend his contract to a fifth year, allowing Imanaga to control his own destiny, and he chose to opt out.

After starring in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan from 2016 to 2023, Imanaga made the transition to MLB ahead of the 2024 season and chose to sign with the Cubs out of a lengthy list of potential suitors. It didn't take long for him to show why he was so coveted by teams across the majors.

Imanaga burst onto the scene in a big way, going 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA and 174 strikeouts in 29 starts during the 2024 campaign. He earned an All-Star selection in his first year in MLB, and he capped off his stellar rookie season by pitching the first seven innings of a combined no-hitter for the Cubs that September.

Entering the 2025 season, Imanaga was named Chicago's Opening Day starter. While he wasn't as dominant as his first year in the majors, he still had a solid season by going 9-8 with a 3.73 ERA and 117 strikeouts across 25 starts. The Cubs went 92-70 to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2020, though they fell to the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Divisional Series.

At 32 years old, Imanaga is still in the prime of his career. He will likely garner significant interest on the open market this winter, and he could be a difference-maker for a team hoping to contend for a World Series title in 2026.