The Cubs are increasing their pitching rotation.
Left-handed pitcher Shota Imanaga has agreed to a contract with the club. The Post's Jon Heyman confirmed Tuesday..
The news was first reported by Bob Nightengale of USA Today, who reported that the contract is tentative and that Imanaga is scheduled to undergo a medical exam on Thursday.
Terms of the deal were not immediately reported.
The 30-year-old Imanaga is known as the “throwing philosopher'' because of his pitching accomplishments.
He has a career record of 64 wins, 50 losses and an ERA of 3.18 in Japanese professional baseball, and has played for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars since 2016.
In last year's World Baseball Classic, he pitched six innings, giving up two runs and striking out seven.
He has participated in the NPB All-Star Game twice, in 2019 and 2023.
Heyman reported in December that the Mets and Yankees were being considered as other candidates to sign the pitcher.
The Mets and Yankees also had interest in Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who agreed to a 12-year contract with the Dodgers last month worth a record $325 million.
The contract contains various opt-outs related to Yamamoto's health.
The Cubs otherwise had a relatively uneventful offseason in terms of player acquisitions, but they plucked a free-agent manager from the Brewers on a five-year, $40 million contract at the top of the manager market.
The Mets had “serious” interest in signing Counsell as manager after working with the team's new president of team operations, David Stearns, in Milwaukee.
“As I went through this process, I think it became clear to me that I needed and wanted a new professional challenge,” Counsell said. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“At the same time, I'm grateful to be a part of this community. And it has nothing to do with baseball, so hopefully it will continue. I'm looking forward to joining a new community and We hope to have a positive impact on our community as well, but as we went through this experience, it became clear that we needed a new challenge.”
The Cubs finished second in the National League Central Division last season with 83 wins and 79 losses, nine games behind the division-leading Brewers and one game out of the wild-card spot.
