ShÅta Imanaga, winning pitcher in the WBC gold medal game, is drawing broad interest from @MLB clubs, including the Dodgers, Mets, Red Sox, and Cubs. Some in the industry believe he could receive an AAV in the $20 million range.
Imanaga was selected by the Yokohama DeNA BayStars with the first pick in the 2015 NPB Draft and ended up going 64-50 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.12 WHIP while striking out 1,021 and walking 280 over 1,002.2 innings in 165 games. He also had 13 complete games and seven shutouts over eight NPB seasons. The 30-year-old is coming off a fantastic season where he went 7-4 with a 2.80 ERA and 1.05 WHIP while also winning the strikeout crown, finishing with 174 punchouts to only 24 walks while throwing 148 innings. Imanaga also represented Japan in the World Baseball Classic earlier this year and started in the Gold Medal Game against the United States. During that start, the southpaw pitched two innings, giving up one run on four hits while striking out two - Paul Goldschmidt and Cedric Mullins. His only run allowed was a home run to Trea Turner in the second inning. He relies on multiple pitchers including a mid-90s fastball, splitter, curveball and a cutter/slider hybrid.
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