The Athletics could go in a few different directions this winter, but one way or another, they’re going to be after pitching. One option that looks very intriguing for this team in particular could be Shota Imanaga, who looks to be hitting the free agent market after the Chicago Cubs declined his three-year option, and he in turn declined his player option.
The reason we say it looks like he could be a free agent is that he could still end up taking the qualifying offer that Chicago extended him. The QO is set at $22.025 million for the 2026 campaign, and given that Imanaga is projected for around $20 million per year over two to three years in free agency, there’s a chance he’ll take it.
But for our execercise today, let’s assume he doesn’t accept the qualifying offer from the Cubs. Say he doesn’t feel great after they rejected the team option and doesn’t feel like they’ll do enough to contend heading into 2026, so he wants to explore other options.
The A’s would have to be interested. In his two years with the Cubs he went 24-11 with a 3.28 ERA (4.24 FIP) and has done an excellent job of limiting walks, sitting at 4.3% while the MLB average is 8.3%.
One of the biggest keys for the A’s zeroing in on the lefty could be that where they currently play, Sutter Health Park. The Sacramento ballpark has been compared by opposing players, coaches, and A’s manager Mark Kotsay as playing like Wrigley Field in Chicago. So while Imanaga may not be accustomed to pitching in Sacramento, he’s familiar with ballparks like Sutter Health.
According to FanGraphs, he’s projected for two years and $40 million as a free agent. The steamer projection also has him racking up 174 innings of work with a 4.07 ERA (4.29 FIP) after he put up a 2.91 ERA in 2024 and a 3.73 ERA this past season.
Sep 8, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) throws against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
But the projected contract wouldn’t be the only thing the A’s would have to offer up in order to land Imanaga’s services. Given that he’d have a qualifying offer attached to him, the A’s would have to give up their third-highest selection in the MLB Draft.
That pick will be a Competitive Balance Round B selection in the upcoming draft. Per the rules, “All teams that have either one of the 10 smallest markets or 10 smallest revenue pools receive an additional pick at the end of the first or second round. The groups of teams alternate between the two rounds each year.”
The A’s are one of those ten teams, and in 2025 they ended up trading away their Comp A pick in the Joe Boyle for Jeffrey Springs and Jacob Lopez deal with the Tampa Bay Rays.
In the 2025 Draft, those Comp B selections were between 66-74. For some kind of an idea of a recent pick for the A’s in that range, Gage Jump, arguably the team’s best pitching prospect, was taken 73rd overall in 2024.
Steven Echavarria, taken out of high school, was also taken around that time with the No. 72 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. Jump, 22, is the A’s No. 3 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline, while Echavarria is No. 12.
This isn’t to say that the A’s definitely shouldn’t sign Imanaga, but that there would be a little more than money involved to bringing him in. The big question that would have to be answered would be whether he’s the right fit for the club, and worth that kind of investment, given the down year in 2025.
With the run of success the A’s have had in the draft of late, especially at the top, it would make sense if the front office decided to turn a different direction in order to hold onto all of their picks, if possible.