Cubs reject Shota Imanaga’s option: he will become a free agent

Unfortunately, the World Series and the 2025 campaign are already behind us. But that doesn't mean the baseball world is taking a break. In fact, Thursday November 6 is an important date on the off-season calendar, as decisions on contract withdrawals and options must be made by then.

And the latest decision comes as a surprise to many.

According to ESPN's Jesse Rogers, pitcher Shota Imanaga will become a free agent as the Chicago Cubs declined their three-year, $57 million club option to retain his services until 2028.

Imanaga then declined his $15 million player option for 2026, with good reason.

Breaking Cubs news: Lefty starter Shota Imanaga is a free agent, sources tell ESPN. The team rejected their option to extend his contract out to a fifth year. That triggered his ability to exercise a $15 million player option for 2026. He declined that as well.

– Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) November 4, 2025

The next step in the process is the qualifying offer of $22 million for 2026, which Chicago could very well grant Imanaga by Thursday. If he accepts, it won't be a bad one-year contract for a pitcher of the 32-year-old's caliber, and if he declines and ends up elsewhere, the Bears could get an extra draft pick.

He could also sign a contract that isn't the qualifying offer with the Cubs.

Sure, the Cubs could still negotiate with the Japanese throughout the off-season, but while his performances have been inconsistent this season and the end of the current campaign hasn't gone as planned, the three-year pact they had in hand made sense.

Just as was the case at the trade deadline, when the Cubs didn't surround themselves well with Kyle Tucker, whom they had acquired at a high price, there isn't much of a desire to spend to try and win big in Chicago.

So it's safe to assume that Tucker will find himself under other skies by the start of the 2026 season.

This content was created with the help of AI.