A day after missing out on outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, the Los Angeles Angels might find themselves as runners-up once again.
The Shota Imanaga sweepstakes are coming to a close, and the Angels are not reportedly the favorites to sign him. According to the terms of the posting agreement between MLB and NPB, the top league in Japan, Imanaga has a 45-day posting window to negotiate a contract. That window expires Thursday.
The San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Angels were reported to be the finalists for Imanaga entering the final week. Now, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Giants are the front runners for the left-handed pitcher from Japan.
“It’s all pointing to the Giants,” the source said. “They missed out on [Shohei] Ohtani and [Yoshinobu] Yamamoto, and although Imanaga isn’t on the same level as those guys, they don’t want to miss out again.”
Imanaga is coming off a productive year for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, finishing 7-5 with a 2.66 ERA and 188 strikeouts in 159 innings pitched.
For general manager Perry Minasian, missing out on Imanaga would be another blow heading into his final contract year.
While the Angels have needs in the outfield, starting pitching should be their top priority as they are headed into their first season in six years without two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.
The Angels are reportedly also in the hunt for left-handed starter Blake Snell. Losing out on Imanaga would only further the Angels' need to strike a deal with a front-of-the-rotation starter. Besides Snell, Imanaga, and Jordan Montgomery, few remain on the free agent market.
The only thing for certain in the Imanaga sweepstakes: it won't last much longer.
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