If you do like Ryu Hyun-jin, Imana will receive 33.2 billion won and accept 4 QOs who decided to reinvest FA at the Cubs

Nov 19, 2025

If you do like Ryu Hyun-jin, Imana will receive 33.2 billion won and accept 4 QOs who decided to reinvest FA at the Cubs
Imana Shota decided to stay with the Chicago Cubs. AFP Yonhap News



Shota Imanaga, a Japanese pitcher who boldly declared FA, has decided to play for another season next year for his original team, the Chicago Cubs.

MLB announced four players on the 19th (Korea Standard Time) who decided to accept the qualifying offer (QO) after consideration after receiving it from their original team.

Four of the 13 FA players, including Imanaga, starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff (Miladelphia Brewers), second baseman Gleyber Torres (Detroit Tigers), and outfielder Trent Grisham (New York Yankees), accepted the QO. This year's QO amount is 22.225 million dollars (33.2 billion won).




These four will become FA again after playing for a year with the salary next year.

To understand the process of Imana declaring FA and wearing the Cubs uniform again, we need to look into the contract he signed with the Cubs through the posting system in January last year.

First of all, the details of the $1 million Sinning Bonus, $9 million in 2024, and $13 million in 2025 were confirmed. The complicated ones were options.




The Cubs have waived club options of $20 million in 2026 and 2027, $17 million in 2028, or $57 million over three years. They judged that investing such an amount for three years in Imana is a high risk. Imanaga could have stayed with the Cubs through player options if they gave up their club options, but did not do so and opted for the FA.

If you do like Ryu Hyun-jin, Imana will receive 33.2 billion won and accept 4 QOs who decided to reinvest FA at the Cubs
이마나가 쇼타. ImagesYonhap News
In other words, Imana raised next year's salary of $15.25 million, which she would have received if she executed the player option, to $22.25 million through the QO process.

Imanaga made his major league debut last year and pitched 173 ⅓ innings in 29 games, losing 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA and 174 strikeouts, ranking fifth in the NL Cy Young Award voting. He finished fourth in this year's NL rookie vote, but he adjusted perfectly in his first season of moving the league and established himself as a top starter.




However, he slowed down this year when he suffered a left hamstring injury. He was placed on the injured list from May 6 to June 26. He pitched 144 ⅔ innings in 25 games, marking 9-8 with a 3.73 ERA and 117 strikeouts. It wasn't satisfactory, but it wasn't a slump for the Cubs to give up their options.

For the Cubs, Imanaga must have felt anxious about not meeting expectations in the second half and postseason.

If you do like Ryu Hyun-jin, Imana will receive 33.2 billion won and accept 4 QOs who decided to reinvest FA at the Cubs
Ryu Hyun-jin expressing his feelings at the Toronto Blue Jays joining ceremony in December 2019. AP Yonhap News
In any case, Imana renewed her contract to raise her salary by 30.8% next year. If he performs as an ace like 2024 next season, he can sit on the money cushion 'really'. Next year is the 32-year-old season, so he may win a four- to five-year contract.

Ryu Hyun-jin returned from injury in the second half of 2018, posted a 1.97 ERA in 15 games and qualified as an FA, accepted the LA Dodgers' QO, ranked first in the combined ERA (2.32) in both leagues, and moved to the Toronto Blue Jays at the end of that year on the condition of a large amount of $80 million for four years in the FA market. This is the way Imanaga can follow.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.