Revisionist history: 3 teams that should have made more of a push for Shota Imanaga

The Chicago Cubs inked 30-year-old rookie Shota Imanaga to a four-year, $53 million contract this offseason. The Japanese ace was a prized target, having dominated Nippon Professional Baseball for years. He also pitched the final game of Japan's World Baseball Classic run in 2023.

In the end, age and the inherent uncertainty that comes with signing a pitcher from international waters kept Imanaga's contract in check. He was also lost in the shadows a bit with all the hype surrounding his younger countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who inked a historic $325 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

As it turns out, several teams probably should have outbid the historically frugal Cubs. It's early, but Imanaga has dominated at a level hitherto unseen from a rookie pitcher. His 0.84 ERA through nine starts in the lowest through a pitcher's first nine starts ever. Nobody has opened their career as hot as Imanaga is right now. He's 5-0 with 58 strikeouts in 53.2 innings pitched, slicing up offenses with low-90s heat and a dizzying splitter.

It's hard for pitchers in the modern era to truly dominate without hurling at high velocities, but Imanaga has kept offenses guessing with precise location control and elite tail-end movement on his pitches. Batters should catch up eventually, but Imanaga is on the All-Star pathway with a credible Cy Young case, too.

The Cubs are certainly happy to have him in Chicago. It helps that he is also immensely lovable — an instant fan favorite.

Here are the teams who probably regret missing out on Imanaga the most.

3. SF Giants spent all that money, but whiffed on Shota Imanaga

The San Francisco Giants spent more money than every non-Dodgers club in free agency, signing the likes of Matt Chapman, Jung Hoo Lee, and Blake Snell. San Francisco also traded for Robbie Ray in an effort to bolster the starting rotation under new manager Bob Melvin. The results, so far, are rather underwhelming. The Giants are 26-26 with the 24th best combined ERA in baseball.

Snell was a huge signing at the final buzzer in free agency. So far, the reigning NL Cy Young has four MLB starts under his belt with an 11.40 ERA. He's hurt, and his long offseason holdout clearly did him no favors. Rather than splurging on Snell as a short-term rental halfway through spring training, maybe the Giants should have allocated modest resources to Imanaga earlier in the process.

San Francisco would have surely appealed to Imanaga as a west-coast team. We know San Francisco was interested. The Giants were involved in the Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes as well, but couldn't gain the necessary traction compared to the MLB's heavy-hitters in LA. Imanaga was a natural, affordable pivot, but the Giants misfired.

At some point, Snell figures to regain his rhythm and start performing better. He is not an 11.40 ERA pitcher — and next season, when he inevitably picks up that player option, maybe the Giants get something closer to Cy Young production. That said, Imanaga has a skill set that should age beautifully. He's not reliant on velocity. He doesn't overpower hitters — he outwits them. He is aptly nicknamed 'The Throwing Philosopher.'

The Giants are probably watching this run with a serious case of regret.

2. Phillies would have MLB's top rotation with Shota Imanaga

The Philadelphia Phillies famously offered Yoshinobu Yamamoto the most money of any team despite never meeting him in person. Yamamoto clearly preferred the west coast — and perhaps a little bit more franchise prestige. He met more seriously with the New York teams. Philadelphia is a major market, but it's not NYC or LA.

We saw several reports about Philadelphia's desire to break into the Asian market with a more serious scouting presence. Yamamoto would have signaled the Phillies' commitment on that front. Well, there was an obvious pivot — a far more affordable pivot for a team with two expensive, recently re-signed aces in Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola.

Philadelphia has the third-best collective ERA in baseball right now. Wheeler and Ranger Suarez are Cy Young frontrunners, while Nola continues to produce at his standard level of excellence. Taijuan Walker is 3-0 in five starts. Spencer Turnbull has a 2.52 ERA; Cristopher Sanchez has a 3.15 ERA. The Phillies' rotation leads MLB starters in ERA (2.63) and innings pitched (312).

There is not a better starting group in the MLB. The Phillies' starters are consistently pitching deep into games and setting the table for an elite offense. Just imagine the same Phillies rotation with Imanaga in the mix. Philadelphia could quite credibly claim the Top 3 Cy Young candidates in the National League, at least judging by the Vegas odds. Maybe Imanaga doesn't put together the same start in Philly — Chicago is a different ballpark, a different team, a different schedule. But, Imanaga would also be benefitting from the weakest schedule in the MLB with Philly. Would he be pitching even better right now?

It's a compelling thought. The Phillies are never short on cash and clearly had the flexibility to pay Imanaga. There just wasn't the requisite interest, which is a shame. We could be witnessing something truly special.

1. Braves wouldn't need to worry about the 5th starter with Shota Imanaga

The Atlanta Braves are one of the best teams in baseball — surprise, surprise. The pitching staff has been rock solid despite the season-ending injury to Spencer Strider, led by the excellence of Chris Sale and an unexpected All-Star turn from Reynaldo Lopez. Max Fried has returned to form after a slow start and Charlie Morton still has it, even if his clock is running out.

There's only one issue. The Braves don't have a fifth starter. Not really. There are several candidates to fill that role — Bryce Elder, A.J. Smith-Shawver, Darius Vines, Allan Winans — but none seem to stick. Alex Anthopoulos could swing a trade at the deadline, but this all could have been avoided with a serious free agent push.

Atlanta made a run at Aaron Nola but fell victim to the vaunted hometown discount. At that point, the Braves sort of went into preservation mode. There were other signings and trades, but the Braves mostly left the starting rotation untouched. Lopez was a small-time addition that has paid off unexpectedly well, but the Braves could have landed Shota Imanaga for a fraction of the contract they offered to Nola. That qualifies as a missed opportunity.

The Cubs are good, but Imanaga would be contributing to a bona fide World Series contender in Atlanta. He would form a uniquely dominant southpaw triumvirate with Sale and Fried, anchoring the Braves' lineup in Strider's absence and giving Atlanta the sort of depth it lacked last season.

Obviously, there was no predicting the Strider injury. That doesn't mean the Braves aren't kicking themselves a bit for missing the Imanaga train.