Imanaga posting to be announced Monday, per report

MLB Rumors: Shota Imanaga, the lefthanded starting pitcher for the Yokohama Bay Stars of the Japanese Central League, is expected to be posted on Monday, according to Jon Heyman. Once he is posted, there will be a 45 day window during which major league teams can negotiate with him and attempt to work out a deal.

Imanaga, 30, has a career 2.96 ERA in the NPB, and put up a 2.66 ERA in 159 innings over 24 starts in 2023. Imanaga is ranked 12th on the Fangraphs free agent list, 12th on Keith Law’s free agent list, and 11th on Kiley McDaniel’s list. The projections from Fangraphs and McDaniel have him getting four years at $17-22 million per year, though teams will have to pay a posting fee on top of that based on a percentage of the overall deal.

Imanaga profiles as more of a steady innings-eater than as a top of the rotation type. He’s a command-oriented pitcher who relies on a mix of quality pitches rather than great stuff, with the main concern about him being that he is prone to giving up home runs.

UPDATE — Right after I posted this story, Jon Heyman clarified that the announcement is expected Monday, but the actual posting will be sometime afterwards.