The Boston Red Sox were close to adding another starting pitcher in the 2023-24 offseason, but the two parties couldn’t make a deal. On April 26, he showed them what they missed out on.
Shōta Imanga stunned the Red Sox’s lineup in the first game of their series against the Chicago Cubs. The Nippon Professional Baseball veteran pitched 6.1 innings in Boston, struck out seven, and allowed just five hits and one run, a homer by Tyler O’Neill.
The Red Sox were among the final contenders for Imanaga’s services as his posting window came to a close in January — a week before he signed with Chicago, MLB insider Jim Bowden named the Red Sox, Giants, Angels and Cubs as finalists for the pitcher.
Boston didn’t end up signing Imanaga for the same reason it didn’t sign anyone else of note. The front office offered a lowball, short-term deal.
According to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, the Red Sox were unwilling to match Chicago’s four-year, $53 million offer to the pitcher. Speier shared that multiple MLB sources believed Boston didn’t match the deal due to “medical concerns,” which is both ironic and unfortunate, given that Lucas Giolitio, the cheap and durable pick, lasted two spring training starts before being diagnosed with a season-ending injury.
The Red Sox were the first team to make an offer to Imanaga when his posting window opened, but the two years at $26 million they extended wasn’t enough. Yet, the Sox are paying severely.
Boston has just two of its starters from its Opening Day roster available. Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck are the last men standing as Nick Pivetta, Garrett Whitlock and Brayan Bello recover from injuries. Crawford and Houck have dominated from the mound all season, but Imanaga has rivaled them.
.@alexspeier on why the Red Sox weren’t willing to match the Cubs 4-year, $53 MM offer to Shoto Imanaga:
“The Sox declined to match — a stance driven by a number of factors, including, according to multiple major league sources, a guaranteed term of more years for a player about… pic.twitter.com/SZIhnQWJJs
— Tyler Milliken ⚾️ (@tylermilliken_) April 27, 2024
The veteran has logged a 0.98 in five starts and he didn’t allow his first earned run until his fourth outing of the year. Imanaga has pitched 27.2 innings, fanned 28 batters and walked just three.
The Red Sox’s rotation has been one of the best in baseball in the early going of the season. Boston didn’t need Imanaga to succeed on the mound, but had it signed him this winter, the Sox’s starters could be near unhittable.
Long-term pitcher contracts have burned the Red Sox in the past — they had to pay Chris Sale’s salary for the year even after trading him to the Braves this offseason. But taking risks and spending money is part of running a baseball team. Both paid off for the Cubs.
