Copyright Chicago Tribune
Watching Tuesday’s early morning sports debate shows for news on the NFL trade deadline proved to be an exercise in boredom. Unlike the annual MLB trade deadline, the lack of trade rumors or frenzied reports from analysts back in the New York-area studios made it seem like just another ordinary day in the NFL. Then came the breaking news on ESPN’s “First Take” — ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith sat with Dallas owner Jerry Jones during the “Monday Night Football” game between the Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals. What could two of the biggest egos in modern-day sports be discussing? Unfortunately, before I could hear Stephan A.’s answer, my phone pinged to demand my urgent attention. It was more breaking news from ESPN, albeit from reporter Jesse Rogers: Chicago Cubs starter Shota Imanaga had opted for free agency after he and the Cubs declined to exercise their mutual options. Cubs Nation was in a panic. The 2026 season was already in peril two days before the official start of free-agent signings. Switching gears from seeing if the Bears would get a defensive lineman after allowing 470 passing yards to a 41-year-old quarterback to finding out why the Cubs were allegedly punting away next season, I tuned out ESPN and turned to X. Angry Cubs fans were already in midseason form, complaining about Chairman Tom Ricketts’s spending habits and President Jed Hoyer’s thinking habits, and it had nothing to do with Kyle Tucker walking away as a free agent, as most everyone expects. Things do change fast in Cubdom. It seemed like just yesterday that Cubs fans were worried manager Craig Counsell might start Imanaga in Game 5 of the National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Imanaga lost Game 2 and had been serving up home runs like batting practice for well over a month. But that was old news. A month later, Imanaga was suddenly indispensable, at least in the minds of the tweeting masses who declared the Cubs were throwing in the towel by not picking up a three-year, $57 million option, which triggered his one-year, $15 million option, which they knew he’d decline. I had to check back on what happened in the NLDS to see what I had missed. Nope, it was just as I had remembered. The Cubs handed Imanaga a 3-0 first-inning lead in Game 2 and he gave it right back, serving up a three-run home run in the bottom of the inning to the Brewers’ Andrew Vaughn. Imanaga was removed after 46 pitches and 2 2/3 innings shortly after the Brewers took the lead on a William Contreras home run. The Brewers won 7-3 and took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. “I ruined the game,” a disconsolate Imanaga said afterward. After the Cubs tied the series at Wrigley Field, the big question was whether Imanaga would get a chance to redeem himself in the decisive Game 5 in Milwaukee. But Counsell kept his plans secret until a few hours before the game, when he announced reliever Drew Pomeranz would be the opener. Imanaga was left to warm up in the bullpen during the game as an apparent decoy in what was a 3-1 loss. The would-be ace wasn’t trusted to pitch in the biggest game of the season. Was Imanaga upset about not starting? “I felt like I didn’t have enough skills there,” he said through his interpreter. “Hopefully I want to (improve) my skills so I have the trust (of Counsell) to throw not necessarily short innings, but give us long innings.” Whether he’ll get that chance is doubtful, though the Cubs figure to give him the $22 million qualifying offer for draft-pick compensation and can still bring him back with a new deal. But obviously the Cubs didn’t trust him in Game 5 and didn’t trust he’d rebound enough to merit a three-year deal. Imanaga has to believe he’d be better off elsewhere — and there is never a shortage of teams looking to add left-handed starters. Despite his poor ending, Imanaga was still one of the better starters in baseball over the last two seasons and was named an All-Star in 2024. His combined 3.28 ERA in 2024 and 2025 ranked 13th among pitchers with 300 or more innings, which suggests he made the right call in declining his option. The obvious issue is the home runs he served up at an alarming rate at the end, spoiling a love affair between the Japanese star and his new fan base. Imanaga ranked second to last among starters over that two-year stretch with an average of 1.64 home runs given up per 9 innings. In the second half of 2025, that average zoomed to 2.35 homers allowed per 9 innings. The next closest was the St. Louis Cardinals’ Sonny Gray at 1.86 per 9 innings. Imanaga also finished with a 4.70 ERA in the second half, seventh worst among qualified starters, which was just ahead of teammate Matthew Boyd (4.63) and former Cub Kyle Hendricks (4.59). If that second half was a trend for Imanaga, the Cubs were wise to turn the page. Remember, Counsell tried to mitigate the long ball problem by using reliever Andrew Kittredge as the opener for Imanaga in Game 2 of the wild-card series against the San Diego Padres. Imanaga pitched well for three innings before allowing a two-run homer to Manny Machado in the fifth inning of the 3-0 loss. On Tuesday, the Cubs traded Kittredge, who was acquired at the trade deadline from Baltimore, back to the Orioles for cash considerations. Counsell was widely criticized for trusting his starter and not ordering an intentional walk to Machado, but that trust quickly vanished. Shockingly, that might have been Imanaga’s final performance at Wrigley Field as a Cub. Now the question is “What’s next?” Will Hoyer replace Imanaga with another free-agent starter or count on Justin Steele to pick up his innings in his return from Tommy John surgery? Or would Javier Assad or Ben Brown, or even prospect Jaxon Wiggins, be added to the 2026 rotation? Can Imagana hit it big in free agency even after his poor ending and the possibility of a lockout after 2026? Or should he take the $22 million qualifying offer and try to re-establish himself? Will Marquee Sports Network have to make a new commercial to replace Imanaga singing “Go Cubs Go” in the shower, which was played over and over and over again? The offseason is already percolating before the stove gets hot.
