After a challenging 2025, Shota Imanaga aims to recapture his ace form. The Cubs believe his competitive spirit will fuel a dominant rebound season.
Chicago Cubs left-handed pitcher Shota Imanaga was on top of the world after his first full season in the Major Leagues.
He made his first All-Star appearance, finished fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting, and placed fifth in National League Cy Young voting.
Following that 2024 season, there was a lot of hype surrounding Imanaga. He looked like an up-and-coming ace and slotted in as the Cubs’ Opening Day starter against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tokyo.
However, Imanaga regressed during the 2025 season. He missed some time due to a hamstring injury and was then one of the worst starting pitchers in the second half. His 5.17 ERA was the seventh-highest among all qualified starting pitchers from July 25 onward, and his 20 home runs allowed during this span were the most in baseball.
Despite those struggles, the front office decided to extend the $22.025 million qualifying offer to Imanaga this offseason. The Japanese native then accepted that offer, making him a Cub for the 2026 season.
It’s easy to look at Imanaga and think about the pitcher that he was in the second half. That pitcher that the manager Craig Counsell couldn’t even throw out there in a pivotal win-or-go-home against the Brewers in Game 5 of the Divisional Round.
But this is a new season.
And Counsell is confident that Imanaga will return to being a dominant pitcher on the mound.
“I’m very excited for Shota to have an outstanding season,” Counsell said while talking to reporters in Arizona. “He is going to respond to the things that happened at the end of the year. He wasn’t happy with how he pitched. That’s what great competitors do. They respond to things like that, and he will absolutely respond. I’m confident in that.”
Let’s not forget that Imanaga was a good pitcher in the first half last year. He had a 2.82 ERA and 34 strikeouts across 44 ⅔ innings pitched and allowed one run or fewer in five of those eight starts.
Then, Imanaga suffered a hamstring strain in early May. While he looked exceptional in his first few starts off the 15-day injured list, he eventually struggled to find consistency down the stretch.
“I feel like my body got weaker,” Imanaga said through an interpreter in Arizona. “I talked to Counsell after the season last year. We talked about how the first year went well, second year [I] got punched in the mouth. You have to make your adjustments.”
Imanaga will enter the 2026 season looking to rebound following a brutal end-of-year stretch. The key for him will be getting more swing-and-miss on all of his pitches. His whiff rate on both his four-seam fastball (15.9%) and splitter (32.4%) was down from his rookie season.
His average fastball velocity (90.8 mph) was also 0.7 mph slower than in 2024 (91.5 mph). For a pitcher who already doesn’t throw that hard, that’s a noticeable difference. That could have had something to do with his body post-hamstring injury.
Either way, this is a big year for Imanaga. This is essentially a prove-it season for the 32-year-old. After accepting the qualifying offer this past fall, he will become an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
As for the Cubs, they need him to return to his rookie year form as they chase a World Series title. The team appears confident that Imanaga can.