Cubs structure of Shota Imanaga contract looks absolutely genius already

Yoshinobu Yamamoto commanded all of the attention when it came to Japanese starting pitchers this past offseason, and for good reason, but Shota Imanaga has thoroughly outpitched him in the early parts of the 2024 season.

Through his first five starts, Imanaga has posted a league-leading 0.98 ERA in 27.2 innings of work. He has been dominant in all five outings, and the Chicago Cubs have gone 5-0 when he has taken the ball.

What makes Imanaga's start to his MLB career that much more impressive is the contract structure that the Cubs gave him. If he continues to pitch well, it'll be an utter steal for Chicago.

Shota Imanaga's Cubs contract structure looks absolutely genius for Chicago

Imanaga signed a four-year deal worth $53 million to join the Cubs. With how much starting pitching is worth nowadays that already looked like a steal, but when you dive deeper into the details, it's even more team-friendly than you might have realized.

The Cubs are paying him just $10 million this season and $13 million next season. For reference, Kyle Gibson is making $13 million this season. Frankie Montas is making $16 million this season. Imanaga was underpaid from the start.

After the 2025 campaign, Imanaga has the option to opt out and seek more money. Assuming he continues to pitch well, he'll certainly look to exercise that. However, if he opts out, the Cubs have the right to hand him a three-year extension worth $57 million which would take him through the 2028 campaign, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

The Cubs are in complete control here, and the price is incredibly cheap. Worst case, if Imanaga struggles and does not opt out of his contract, the Cubs would be paying him as if he were a back-end starter. If he continues to pitch well, they have him on team-friendly terms for the next four seasons after this one.

The terms of this deal are ones that several other teams will come to regret not matching or topping for Imanaga, a pitcher who is proving each time he takes the ball that he belongs.