Shota Imanaga may be steal of offseason after Cubs starter makes history

Most of the attention of the winter went towards Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto and where those two Japanese superstars would land. Yamamoto was particularly interesting because he was coming over from Japan as a young superstar who had dominated the Nippon Professional Baseball. At just 25 he was a three-time MVP and Sawamura award winner, the equivalent to a Cy Young. However, he is being out-pitched by his fellow rookie who came from the NPB in the winter, Shota Imanaga.

Imanaga was no slouch in NPB himself. He was a two time All-Star and lead their central league in strikeouts, with 174 in 148 innings, to the tune of a 2.80 ERA. He wasn't getting the hype Yamamoto was, though, likely because he didn't have the accolades and is five years older. However, as a lefty with good stuff, he was an enticing free agent.

The lefty had a lot of suitors, but ultimately signed a four year, $53 million deal with the Chicago Cubs. He opened the season by starting their fourth game, and has dominated in his first four starts, giving the Cubs one of the biggest steals of the offseason so far.

Shota Imanaga is off to a historically good start for Cubs

Imanaga put the entire league on notice during his MLB debut. While it came against a pretty lackluster Colorado Rockies team, his stuff and his numbers were impressive. He threw six shutout innings, allowing just two hits, and struck out nine while not walking a batter. He put eyes on himself and definitely wasn't flying under the radar anymore.

He got his first big test in his second start, where he face the Dodgers. He passed the test, not giving up a hit in four innings and striking out three. He allowed his firs run in his third start, though it wasn't an earned run. He allowed his first earned run in his fourth start against the Miami Marlins, where he gave up two earned and three total over six innings, but still getting the win.

Through five starts, his numbers are spectacular. He has thrown 27.2 innings, striking out 28 batters, while walking just three and allowing just three earned runs, which leads to an eye-popping 0.98 ERA.

Those numbers have already made MLB history. Imanaga became the first starter since Dave Ferriss in 1945 to have an ERA below 1.00 and go 4-0 in his first five career starts, according to MLB Stats.

Like Kodai Senga last season, who was also an older pitcher coming over from Japan, he has immediatley impressed. Yes, Yamamoto deserved the hype he got and is off to a nice start himself. However, Imanaga has been the better pitcher thus far, and looks like a bargain for the Cubs.

That being said, it's early in the season. This level of performance isn't sustainable, and that's fine. Imanaga showed in Japan that he can be a reliable innings eater with a good strikeout rate. The regression is inevitable, but he can still be a valuable pitcher for a Cubs team trying to compete for the NL Central, especially with Justin Steele out for an extended period of time.