Red Sox also interested in other Japanese pitcher besides Yoshinobu Yamamoto (report)
Yoshinobu Yamamoto isn’t the only Japanese pitcher the Red Sox are interested in signing. Boston is reportedly interested in Japanese left-hander Shota Imanaga, who was announced by the Yokohama DeNA Baystars on Nov. 1. 27.
“Red Sox are one of many bidders for Shota Imanaga (and every major market team picked Yamamoto),” Jon Heyman of the New York Post tweeted Thursday. “I wrote. Heyman also tweeted, “Red Sox interested in bringing in Eduardo Rodriguez, but prefer to wait on Yamamoto and Imanaga.”
Rodriguez, who played for Boston from 2015 to 2021, signed a four-year, $80 million contract with the Diamondbacks. Imanaga had a 2.66 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 24 games (159 innings) for Yokohama in 2023. His perfect teams allowed an average of 1.4 walks per nine innings compared to 10.6 strikeouts . He posted a 2.96 ERA (1,129⅔ innings) in 192 games in Japan.
MassLive’s Sean McAdam reported in September that the Red Sox were “looking hard” for Imanaga. Baseball America’s scouting report on Imanaga sees him as a potential No. 4 or No. 5 starter, but more likely as a swingman or reliever.
License “Imanaga is a smart left-hander with an excellent sense of the game. His fastball clocks in at 89-93 mph and has a solid curve as a starter, reaching 94-95 mph in short bursts. His primary secondary pitch is a splitter that averages 80-80 mph and generates ground balls. Imanaga’s success in the MLB will largely depend on the development of his slider.
Currently, he is a fringe product who stays flat in the offensive zone and produces 80-80 mph. He has shown the ability to throw and catch hard, but needs improvement to be an average pitcher. He also has a below-average 71-74 mph curve that he throws like a changeup. Imanaga usually throws to the glove side and has a one-sided repertoire, but he mixes and matches well to keep his opponents off balance. He has above-average control and gets everyone at the plate.”
He throws a fastball, slider, curveball and splitter. MLB Trade Rumors ranked Imanaga No. 10 on their Top 50 Free Agent list, projecting him to make $85 million over five years as a free agent.
