Shota Imanaga, the left-handed pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, has decided to accept a qualifying offer and return to the team for the 2026 season. This decision comes after a period of contract negotiations where it seemed the two sides might be heading in different directions.
Earlier in the offseason, the Cubs declined a three-year team option on Imanaga's contract that would have paid him $57.75 million from 2026 to 2028. Following this, Imanaga himself declined a player option for the 2026 season worth $15.25 million.
His acceptance of the qualifying offer means he will earn $22.025 million for the 2026 season, with the opportunity to become a free agent again next winter. Imanaga, who joined the Cubs before the 2024 season on a four-year, $53 million deal with options, had a strong debut in Major League Baseball.
In his first season, he posted a 2.91 ERA over 173 1/3 innings, finishing fourth in Rookie of the Year voting and fifth in the Cy Young race. While he pitched at a high level in the first half of the most recent season, his performance dipped down the stretch, resulting in a 3.74 ERA for the year.
Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins expressed that extending the qualifying offer was a straightforward decision due to their positive assessment of Imanaga.
