"The Chicago Cubs declined to pick up a three-year option on Imanaga's contract, which triggered Imanaga's player option (which he also declined), officially making him a free agent. He went 9-8 with a 3.73 ERA across 25 starts in Chicago this past season. While the Blue Jays did use Eric Lauer and Easton Lucas as left-handed starters in 2025, the team spent most of the year without a consistent left-handed presence in the rotation."
"However, Imanaga does struggle with the long ball. He allowed the second-most home runs in the National League last season (31). For reference, the most allowed by any Blue Jays pitcher last year was Berrios, who gave up 26. While the home run issue stands out, Imanaga counters it with excellent control - his 0.99 WHIP was among the lowest in the league, comparable to Yoshinobu Yamamoto"
Toronto's rotation projects Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, and Jose Berrios as top arms, with vacancies after Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt entered free agency. Shota Imanaga became a free agent after the Cubs declined his three-year option and he declined his player option, posting a 9-8 record with a 3.73 ERA across 25 starts in 2025. Imanaga brings a groundball-generating splitter, an effective sweeper that held hitters to a .153 average, a career 3.28 ERA, and excellent control (0.99 WHIP). Imanaga allowed 31 home runs last season, indicating home-run susceptibility.
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