The Chicago Cubs hit the jackpot with Shota Imanaga.
Seeing how much Yoshinobu Yamamoto got paid ($325 million), to think the Cubs got Imanaga for $53 million is downright comical.
That’s how winning runs are born: not with the mammoth contracts, but with the savvy investments.
Imanaga, who currently leads baseball with a 0.96 ERA, certainly qualifies.
He is part of an elite group of hurlers who are dominating the opposition in MLB, via FOX Sports: MLB on Twitter.
There are five qualified pitchers with an ERA under 2.00 💪 pic.twitter.com/7i4eA1cpMc
As the tweet states, “there are five qualified pitchers with an ERA under 2.00.”
Imanaga, however, is the only one with an ERA under 1.00.
Expecting him to finish out the season with an ERA under 1.00 is unrealistic, but it’s safe to say at this point that not only he belongs, but he is a star.
In Japan, Yamamoto was by far the most dominant of the two pitchers, but Imanaga was also a star there.
He was also part of the Japanese team that won the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
He also has a great resume.
Yamamoto might have more resources and better command, but there isn’t a $272 million gap between the two.
No way.
The left-hander has been parlaying a unique fastball from a very uncomfortable slot to stymie hitters around the league.
In addition to the 0.96 ERA, he has given up just eight walks in 46.2 innings, while striking out 51 batters.
Specialists say that a pitcher’s BB/K ratio is very much an indicative of future success and Imanaga has been dominant in that regard.
There is no reason to think he will suddenly collapse, so the Cubs got themselves an ace at a very affordable price.