"The market is broken", "Dodgers should move to Japan" - Reports that NPB ace Shota Imanaga could cost $100,000,000 turns heads of MLB fans
Shota Imanaga is the next name on the list of NPB aces eyeing a debut in MLB. While Imanaga's record in Japan suggests excellence, fans are bawking at his projected MLB signing amount.
A two-time All-Star, Imanaga's 174 strikeouts and seven wins placed him first and second in those respective categories for the Yokohama BayStars in 2023. However, after being posted by the team earlier this offseason, speculation has been abound about what sort of money Imanaga will be commanding.
According to MLB analyst Jeff Passan, the expected contract value is expected to be somewhere in the realm of $100 million for Imanaga. In an offseason that has already shattered contract records, fans are not so sure that an untested name deserves that much.
The news comes on the heels of some massive inkings by the Los Angeles Dodgers. In December, the team signed both Shohei Ohtani and MLB debutante Yoshinobu Yamamoto to long-term deals that exceed $1 billion. In addition to raising questions about fairness, these vast sums also have fans suggesting that contracts have become massively inflated.
For a player like Shota Imanaga, teams know that money talks. In the case of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, it was reported that the 25-year-old received offers of $300 million from the New York Yankees and Mets, but ultimately decided on the 12-year, $325 million pledge from the Dodgers.
With that said, the prospect of landing a pitcher like Shota Imanaga excites fans across a variety of teams. In addition to comments calling out the "broken" baseball market, several fans also appeared to vouch for their own teams in the Imanaga sweepstakes.
Shota Imanaga's expected contract value is a sign of the times
When billionaire financier Steve Cohen took control of the New York Mets in 2020, the two largest contracts ever written up were distributed within years. It seems that a logic of excessive spending has taken hold in MLB, one which equates wins with dollar signs.
However, over a century of baseball has proven that nobody can buy wins. Baseball is a game of error, and of surprises, neither of which can be mitigated by money. Although Imanaga is an excellent pitcher who would fit on any team, MLB front offices should think long and hard about value before any brash moves are made.