WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 22: Manager Gabe Kapler #19 of the San Francisco Giants watches the game in the second inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on July 22, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Report: Cubs agree to terms with SF Giants free agent target that has been rumored.
This winter, the San Francisco Giants made an attempt to sign three elite Japanese free agents. Posted Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that Shōta Imanaga, a left-handed starting pitcher for the Yokohama DeNa BayStars and the #12-ranked free agent, has reached an agreement with the Chicago Cubs. Earlier this week, Sankei Sports reported that the Giants and Angels were the “final candidates” to sign Imanaga. But it appears that the Giants were merely the subject of rumors that they were leading the race for a top free agent once more.
A portion of the optimism surrounding the Giants stemmed from their unsuccessful attempts to sign Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who ultimately signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and their resolve to sign at least one of the highly sought-after Japanese free agents. There was time pressure to complete a signing because Imanaga’s posting window was scheduled to expire on Thursday. This pressure hasn’t been present before for the glacially slow domestic free-agent market.
