DeNA BayStars approve posting of pitcher Shota Imanaga to MLB teams
Star Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga was approved for posting to MLB teams by the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball early Saturday morning, the team announced on X.
"We would like to inform you that we have approved the transfer of Shota Imanaga to a Major League Baseball (MLB) team in the United States through 'posting,'" the team said, translated from Japanese.
The announcement of the left-hander's posting for MLB free agency is expected to come Monday, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman. He noted that Imanaga will technically be posted for MLB free agency after Monday.
While the Mets have been "all over" Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, SNY's Andy Martino reported Friday, New York could also target Imanaga.
"He could be a very strong fit in the Mets' rotation," SNY's Danny Abriano wrote on Nov. 3. "And it's possible he'll be a better investment than someone like Sonny Gray or a reclamation project like Luis Severino."
Imanaga owned a 2.66 ERA over 159.0 innings with 188 strikeouts in the 2023 season, and also had a career-best walk rate of 1.4 per nine innings. He finished his career in Japan for NPB with a 64-50 record, 3.18 ERA, and 1.11 WHIP while averaging 9.2 strikeouts per nine and 2.5 walks per nine.
The 30-year-old could sign a deal around the five-year, $85 million range, estimated by MLB Trade Rumors, who rank him as the No. 10 overall free agent this offseason. Abriano ranked him as the No. 3 free agent target for the Mets.
