Imanaga Returns to Cubs

Shota Imanaga returns to the Cubs for the 2026 season

CHICAGO - LHP Shota Imanaga has accepted the Cubs’ one-year, $22 million qualifying offer, ensuring he returns to Chicago for the 2026 season just before Tuesday’s deadline.

The 32-year-old lefty is looking to bounce back to the Cy Young-caliber form he flashed during his All-Star rookie season, when he posted a 15–3 record with a 2.91 ERA. A strained left hamstring sidelined him for nearly two months in 2025, and he never fully regained his dominance — finishing 9–8 with a 3.73 ERA in 25 starts.

Manager Craig Counsell’s diminished trust in Imanaga became clear when he was not used in Game 5 of the NLDS against the Milwaukee Brewers, a decision that loomed large as the Cubs’ season came to an end.

Imanaga reached free agency due to the unusual structure of his original four-year $53 million deal. The Cubs declined their three-year, $57.75M option, prompting his ability to opt out. Imanaga then declined his own $15.25M player option for 2026 — a move that would have guaranteed him $30.5 million over two years.

A fan favorite with charisma and major marketability, Imanaga returns to a Cubs rotation that still lacks a true power arm — outside of Rookie of the Year runner-up Cade Horton — at the top. Chicago is banking on his experience and a few key offseason adjustments to help him rediscover the electric 2024 form that made Wrigley Field buzz every fifth day.