Imanaga has big plans for '25 -- and they start in Tokyo

MESA, Ariz. -- When Shota Imanaga arrived at camp last spring, the Japanese pitcher was grateful for how much his new Cubs teammates and the ballclub¡¯s staff embraced him and made him feel comfortable. This spring, Imanaga is looking forward to seeing the players have the chance to now embrace his home and culture.

The Cubs will head overseas to face the Dodgers in the Tokyo Series on March 18-19 and Imanaga is in the plans to start one of those games, barring something unexpected. Away from the on-field experience, Imanaga and Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki will have opportunities to introduce their teammates to some of what Japan has to offer.

¡°For the staff, the coaches, players with the Cubs,¡± Imanaga said via his interpreter, Edwin Stanberry, on Monday, ¡°I think it¡¯s a wonderful opportunity for them to really feel and understand how great Japan is and understand the culture and the traditions over there.¡±

Imanaga will also take the mound in the Tokyo Dome following a remarkable rookie campaign with the Cubs, who signed him to a four-year, $53 million contract last winter. It was hard to know how the left-hander would fare in the Major Leagues, even with his eight impressive years with Yokohama in Nippon Professional Baseball.

Imanaga then authored the lowest ERA on record for a rookie through his first nine starts, made the National League All-Star team, worked the first seven innings of a no-hitter on Sept. 4 against the Pirates and finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in balloting for the NL¡¯s Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards.

¡°He could do the same thing; that¡¯d be great,¡± Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. ¡°Look, he¡¯s passed and excelled at, really, every challenge that¡¯s been put in front of him. That¡¯s what he did last year. He¡¯s got to do it again.¡±

Needless to say, Imanaga shattered expectations last year.

¡°I can¡¯t say I exceeded my own expectations,¡± Imanaga said.

That is because the 31-year-old Imanaga -- nicknamed the ¡°Pitching Philosopher¡± prior to making the move to the Major Leagues -- is always searching for avenues for improvement. Yes, Imanaga went 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA while racking up 174 strikeouts to only 28 walks in 173 1/3 innings. Even so, he sees areas to fix.

Imanaga pointed out that Dodgers righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto turned in a 2.8 fWAR in only 18 starts (90 innings) in his rookie year in 2024. Even with more than 80 extra innings on the books, Imanaga ended with 3.0 fWAR. Part of that is due to the fact that the Cubs lefty yielded 27 homers (1.4 homers per nine innings, compared to Yamamoto's 0.7 HR/9).

¡°I need to give up less home runs. I need to get my strikeout numbers higher,¡± Imanaga said. ¡°That means the quality of the starts are going to be better. I think looking at all those [numbers], I figured out, ¡®OK, this is what I need to work on for next season.¡¯¡±

Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy smiled when asked about Imanaga¡¯s critical self-assessment.

¡°He¡¯s a student of the game, right? That¡¯s one thing we¡¯ve always known about him,¡± Hottovy said. ¡°That¡¯s so refreshing to have a guy who¡¯s had success and also wants to continue to get better, but knows what his foundation is and knows what¡¯s going to make him successful.¡±

Imanaga projects to be a fixture in the Cubs¡¯ rotation, alongside Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd. Chicago has a group of arms in the mix for starts behind that group, but the Cubs could also still look to add someone via trade. Last month, they also made a run at Japanese pitching prospect Roki Sasaki, who opted to sign with the Dodgers.

Imanaga said he did not get involved in the Cubs¡¯ pursuit of Sasaki.

¡°I didn¡¯t really talk to him at all,¡± Imanaga said. ¡°I¡¯m just a guy on the outside in this situation. And it¡¯s his decision.¡±

Imanaga is focused on trying to help lead the Cubs to the postseason. That quest begins in Tokyo, where the season-opening spectacle will feature Shohei Ohtani, Yamamoto and Sasaki on the Dodgers¡¯ side, and Imanaga and Suzuki on Chicago¡¯s side.

¡°I think Shohei Ohtani and Yamamoto, they¡¯re going to have a lot bigger cheers,¡± Imanaga said. ¡°But I want to tell the Japanese fans that, hopefully, they can cheer me and Seiya Suzuki as much as they do with them, too.¡±