Quote:

---

If they want, the Cubs can exercise a $57M club option (2026, 2027, and 2028), keeping Imanaga locked in for three more years, with the following salaries each season (plus a no-trade clause).
2026: $20M
2027: $20M
2028: $17M

But if they don't want that particular deal, everything starts getting confusing.

For example, if the Cubs decline that $57M club option, Shota Imanaga can exercise a $15M player option for 2026. If he does, the next set of decisions doesn't happen until after the 2026 season.

But if he declines that $15M player option for 2026 this offseason, the Cubs can make him a Qualifying Offer.

If he accepts the Qualifying Offer, he'll be on the Cubs for one year at that TBD salary (~$22M). That might seem the obvious route for Imanaga rather than picking up the $15 million player option, but keep in mind, that one comes with an additional player option for 2027, and it's at least conceivable he might prefer a guaranteed 2/$30M (with the ability to leave in the middle) over 1/$22M.

If he declines the Qualifying Offer, he'll become a free agent right away, and the Cubs will recoup a draft pick if/when he signs elsewhere.

---

Quote:

---

...the Cubs did not start him in a do-or-die playoff game on regular rest. Think about that. It has to tell you something.

---

Quote:

---

Moreover, the Cubs have a lot of players coming off the books after the 2026 season, which I bring up as a reason to keep as much talent on next year's team as possible. You're not taking a step back next season, so is it really a good idea to lose a potential mid+ rotation starter? I wouldn't think so.

And yet, I just keep coming back to the potential financial savings and overall flexibility gained by declining that first option. It just screams Jed Hoyer. Go that route, and the worst case scenarios Imanaga accepts a Qualifying Offer or Imanaga becomes a free agent may not be considered all that unpalatable.

---