The San Diego Padres are a serious threat to sign Chicago Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga, ranking as his top free agent landing spot ahead of the offseason, according to a Bleacher Report analysis published Thursday.
Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report wrote that “basically the entire Padres rotation will be free agents after this season,” calling the description more fact than hyperbole.
Robbie Ray and Casey Mize arrived as rentals before the trade deadline. Walker Buehler, who logged more than 150 innings, is headed to the open market. Michael King and Nick Pivetta can opt out of their contracts.
With that many vacancies, Kelly wrote, “essentially, every free-agent pitcher makes sense as a fit for the Padres,” and Imanaga is among them. Imanaga has five shutout innings in his career at Petco Park, a pitcher-friendly venue that could blunt one of his clearest weaknesses.
The 33-year-old allowed 35 home runs in 32 starts this season. He still finished 11-10 with a 3.77 ERA, a 1.096 WHIP and 174 strikeouts in 174 1/3 innings, posting a 112 ERA+. It was the first time he made at least 30 starts in the majors.
His career line with the Cubs is 35-21 with a 3.45 ERA over 86 starts and 492 1/3 innings. He finished fifth in National League Cy Young voting in 2024 after going 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA, a mark Kelly described as increasingly looking like an outlier.
Imanaga accepted the Cubs’ one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer last winter after Chicago declined a three-year, $57.75 million option on his contract. The Cubs will receive no draft-pick compensation if he leaves this time.
Kelly ranked the San Francisco Giants second for Imanaga. The Giants traded left-hander Robbie Ray before the deadline and have given one-year deals to veteran starters in recent winters.
Imanaga has a 4.15 ERA in two career starts at Oracle Park, but the venue could limit the home runs that have followed him. A rotation built around Logan Webb, Imanaga and Landen Roupp was described as a workable start if Webb rebounds.
The Chicago White Sox placed third. Sean Burke and Davis Martin form a useful pair, but the club lacks a clear near-ready starting prospect. Kelly wrote that adding Imanaga “could help the White Sox make a second consecutive postseason appearance in 2027,” after the club climbed from 121 losses in 2024 to the postseason two years later.
Washington ranked fourth because of a need for innings, though Imanaga is more likely than some veterans to command multiple years. The Cubs were fifth.
Rotation uncertainty — Justin Steele has barely pitched the last two seasons, Edward Cabrera struggled in his first year in Chicago, and Matthew Boyd has a $15 million mutual option — suggests Chicago will monitor the market. Kelly noted that declining the multiyear option last winter already felt like a signal that Imanaga’s time on the North Side was limited.
Imanaga will turn 34 in September 2027. A two- or three-year deal is the range other outlets have attached to him, a shorter commitment than the top of the market and one that fits a Padres staff that must be rebuilt almost from scratch.
