Tigers’ reported interest in Shota Imanaga makes the rotation fit worth a second look

When I wrote about Shota Imanaga last week, the case for Detroit started with a fairly simple question. How many free-agent starters could give the Tigers 30 starts, miss bats and leave their prospect depth intact? Now we know Imanaga is on their radar. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported that Detroit has shown interest in the former Cubs left-hander as it considers several free-agent starters.

The part of my original evaluation I’d put more weight on now is what those innings would allow Detroit to do with the rest of its staff. Framber Valdez gives the Tigers an established left-hander. Beyond him, Detroit has to decide how many starts it can reasonably get from Jackson Jobe, Troy Melton and River Ryan, and where Keider Montero and Drew Anderson help the most. Signing Imanaga would leave those pitchers competing for fewer starts. It would also give A.J. Hinch the option of keeping a pitcher who can cover multiple innings in his bullpen.

Chicago got 174 1/3 innings from Imanaga across 32 starts in 2026. He struck out 174, walked 37 and finished with a 3.77 ERA. That works out to nearly five strikeouts per walk. He also surrendered 35 home runs, almost as many as the number of hitters he walked. Those two numbers belong in the same discussion. His command keeps traffic off the bases, but a hitter who gets a fastball he can drive has a chance to score without any help.

The fastball was my concern in the first piece. Hitters slugged .494 in at-bats that ended on Imanaga’s four-seamer. The splitter gives Detroit a reason to live with some of that damage. According to Baseball Savant, opponents hit .195 and slugged .335 against it, missing on 41.4% of their swings. Imanaga threw it 970 times. Chicago’s opponents had a full season to prepare for a pitch they saw roughly once every three deliveries, and they still had trouble squaring it up.

That mix would give a lineup a different assignment the day after facing Valdez. A hitter preparing for Valdez has to account for a sinker that can put the ball on the ground. Against Imanaga, he has to decide whether to swing at a pitch that looks like the four-seamer before dropping below his barrel. Detroit can put two left-handers in the same rotation without giving opponents two looks at the same kind of starter.

There’s a bullpen benefit even on an ordinary Imanaga night. His average start lasted a little under 5 1/2 innings. If Hinch can get him through the sixth on a night when the splitter is working, he can leave a long reliever available for the next starter.

I’d be comfortable with two guaranteed years. Imanaga turned 33 in September, and the home runs give me pause about a longer commitment. Detroit can pursue him and still shop for the right-handed bat the lineup needs. The appeal of using free agency here is that the Tigers could add a starter who took the ball 32 times last year and still have their full group of prospects available if the best hitter they can acquire comes by trade.