Japanese players dominate the major league free agent market this winter. Following Shohei Otani (30) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (26)
who are both owned by the LA Dodgers, Shota Imanaga (31) is about to sign a huge contract.
Major League Baseball’s official website ‘MLB.com’ reported on the 10th (Korean time) that the Chicago Cubs have reached a contract agreement with Imanaga and that he will undergo a physical examination. 카지노사이트
The contract is expected to be announced as soon as all procedures are completed ahead of the posting deadline of 7 a.m. on the 12th.
that Imanaga signed a contract worth an average of $15 million (approximately 19.8 billion won) per year.
New York Post’ reporter John Heyman explained that Imana’s contract structure is complex and is worth up to $80 million (approximately 105.5 billion won) depending on player and club options and variable system.
The terms of the guarantee are 2 years and $30 million (approximately 39.6 billion won), with $15 million in the first year.
‘The Athletic’ columnist Jim Borden reported that there are multiple opt-outs in the two-year
$30 million basic contract, and that the contract ranges from $60 million (approximately KRW 79.2 billion) over four years to a maximum of $80 million (approximately KRW 105.6 billion).
Depending on the exercise of the option starting from the 3rd year of the contract, the contract will be worth up to 4 years and $80 million. 토토사이트
Four years and $80 million was the condition under which Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin (37) signed a free agent contract with the Toronto Blue Jays four years ago. In the case of Ryu Hyun-jin
his contract was fully guaranteed with no options, and at the time, it became a hot topic as it was the highest ever contract for a Toronto pitcher.
Afterwards, Toronto signed a 7-year contract extension worth $131 million for Jose Berrios and signed Kevin Gausman as a free agent for a 5-year contract worth $110 million
dropping him to third place for the club’s pitcher’s highest-paid contract.
Due to the complex structure of Imanaga’s contract, it is not easy to receive $80 million as is.
However, at the time, Ryu Hyun-jin was a special free agent who finished second in the National League (NL) Cy Young Award in 2019 and was a proven starting pitcher in the major league.
Imanaga can be said to be receiving unprecedented treatment in that he has pitched eight seasons in Japanese professional baseball but has yet to throw a single pitch in the major leagues.
That’s how much he trusts major league clubs in Japanese pitchers. Kodai Senga, a right-handed pitcher whom the New York Mets spent 5 years and $75 million to acquire a year ago, had a soft landing last year with 12 wins, 7 losses, 2.98 ERA, and 202 strikeouts in 29 games (166⅓ innings).
He was selected as an All-Star and ranked second in the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year Award and seventh in the Cy Young Award.
The ‘ghost forkball,’ which has been famous since the Japanese days, caused major league batters to miss swings. 메이저사이트
This winter, Japanese player contracts are hitting the jackpot. Ohtani, a superstar who doubles as a pitcher
received the highest contract in professional sports history in the world at 10 years and $700 million, and Yamamoto, who dominated Japanese professional baseball
entered the major leagues with the longest contract and the highest amount of money ever for a pitcher at 12 years and $325 million. did.
Japan’s top closer, Yuki Matsui, also signed a five-year, $28 million long-term contract with the San Diego Padres, and Imanaga is also coming to the United States with good treatment.
Imanaga, a left-handed pitcher with a physique of 178 cm and 79 kg, was selected by the Yokohama DeNA Baystars as the first pick in the 2015 draft and debuted in the first team in 2016
. A total of 8 seasons, 165 games (1,002 ⅔ innings), 64 wins, 50 losses, 3.18 ERA, 1,021 strikeouts. After becoming a key pitcher with 11 wins in 2017
he achieved double-digit wins three times, including 13 wins in 2019 and 11 wins in 2022. He achieved a no-hitter game against the Nippon Ham Fighters on June 7, 2022, and last year he pitched well with 7 wins, 4 losses, an average ERA of 2.80, and 173 strikeouts in 22 games (148 innings). Ranked first in strikeouts in the Pacific League.
He also showed his presence at international competitions.
He served on the Japanese national team in the 2017 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC)
WBSC Premier 12 in 2019, and the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), where his presence was notable. He pitched well in 3 games (1 start, 6 innings), 1 win, ERA 3.00, and 7 strikeouts.
In particular, he left a strong impression in the group stage match against Korea.
At that time, Japanese starter Yu Darvish struggled, allowing 3 runs in 3 innings, but Imanaga
who came as the second pitcher in the 4th inning, overwhelmed the Korean batting lineup.
Although they allowed a solo home run to Park Geon-woo and a double to Lee Jeong-hoo in the 6th inning,
Korea’s will to chase was broken by allowing 3 hits, no walks, 3 strikeouts, and 1 run in 3 innings.
With a powerful four-seam fastball with a maximum distance of 154.8 km and an average of 152.1 km and a sharp slider, he caused Korean batters to miss swing nine times.
Imanaga also started as a starter in the final against the United States and laid the foundation for victory by allowing 4 hits (1 home run), no walks, 2 strikeouts, and 1 run in 2 innings.
He was recognized by the WBC for his four-seam fastball with a maximum speed of 96.2 miles (154.8 km) and an average speed of 94.4 miles (151.9 km).
He uses a left-handed fastball and a variety of breaking pitches, including a splitter, slider, and curve, and has stable ball control with a total of 2.5 walks per 9 innings.
Several teams, including the San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, and LA Angels, showed interest, but the final destination was decided on the Cubs.
The Cubs hired manager Craig Counsell this winter on a five-year, $40 million deal, but were having a quiet offseason without actually signing any players.
Excluding the minor league contract, the first major league contract is Imanaga. With key starter Marcus Stroman becoming a free agent through opt-out
the Cubs were in need of reinforcements as starters. Imanaga joins Justin Steele, Kyle Hendrix and James Tyon in the Cubs’ starting rotation.