A free agent whom the Red Sox pursued this offseason has reportedly decided to head elsewhere.
Lefthander Shōta Imanaga — who had until Thursday to explore free agency as part of a posting process by his NPB team, the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, has reached an agreement to join the Cubs, USA Today reported. The agreement won’t be finalized until Imanaga completes a physical. Terms of the deal aren’t yet known.
Imanaga, who turned 30 in September, was 7-4 with a 2.80 ERA, 29 percent strikeout rate, and 4 percent walk rate in 2023. He features a low-90s four-seam fastball with elite ride at the top of the strike zone as well as a slider and splitter, a mix that — in combination with his excellent strike-throwing — multiple evaluators pegged as No. 3 or 4 starter, albeit one whose ability to keep the ball in the park raised some concerns.
According to major league sources, the Sox had expressed interest in Imanaga early in his posting period and remained at least peripherally involved in the bidding as recently as Tuesday morning. However, a major league source characterized it as “doubtful” the Sox would reach agreement with the lefty, with the team’s offer characterized as lagging behind other interested teams.
With just over five weeks remaining until the first official workout of Red Sox pitchers and catchers, the Sox continue their offseason-long quest to add starting pitchers, but the available free-agent supply has diminished.
The team has signed Lucas Giolito to a one-year deal with a player option for 2025, but also traded Chris Sale to Atlanta. Righthanders Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Aaron Nola, Sonny Gray, Seth Lugo, Kenta Maeda, and Michael Wacha as well as lefties Imanaga, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Sean Manaea have reached multi-year deals with other clubs.
Options do remain. Lefties Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery remain on the market, but while the Sox haven’t ruled out a pursuit of either pitcher, a major league source suggested it was unlikely the team will sign either at top-of-the-market prices. Others still on the market include lefties James Paxton (though multiple sources characterized a Sox reunion as unlikely) and Hyun-Jin Ryu as well as righthander Marcus Stroman.
That said, the Sox seem eager to explore the trade market for a young starter with multiple years of team control — though with a relatively limited supply of such pitchers known to be available.
Cubs, LHP Shōta Imanaga reportedly agree to deal, per @MLBNetwork Insider @JonHeyman. pic.twitter.com/UwpUbvZRlQ
— MLB (@MLB) January 10, 2024
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Major league sources confirmed a MassLive report that Red Sox VP of player development and amateur scouting Paul Toboni has been promoted to the position of assistant general manager.
Toboni has been with the Sox since 2015, initially working for the team as an amateur scout, then getting promoted to assistant director of amateur scouting from 2016-19 and director of amateur scouting from 2020-22. He oversaw the drafts that brought Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Nick Yorke (among others) into the organization.
After the 2022 draft, he was promoted to a team VP, serving as a catalyst for an accelerated overhaul of the team’s player development staff and processes while continuing to contribute to draft preparations. In October, he interviewed for the team’s head of baseball operations role. Though Craig Breslow was ultimately appointed chief baseball officer, Toboni’s work within the organization was recognized with his promotion to join Eddie Romero, Raquel Ferreira, and Michael Groopman as assistant general managers.
Alex Speier can be reached at alex.speier@globe.com. Follow him @alexspeier.
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Red Sox lose out on Japan lefthander Shōta Imanaga, who reportedly agrees to a deal with Cubs - The Boston Globe
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