Left-hander Shota Imanaga accepts qualifying offer to return to Cubs in 2026

Left-hander Shota Imanaga will be returning to the Cubs after accepting the $22.025 million qualifying offer for 2026, sources confirmed Tuesday.

Imanaga was one of four players who accepted the qualifying offer before Tuesday’s deadline, joining Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham, Tigers infielder Gleyber Torres and Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff. Before this year, only 14 of the 144 players who had received qualifying offers had accepted.

Imanaga’s return helps address some of the Cubs’ pitching concerns this offseason. And though the contract is just one year, it’s at a higher average annual value than the three-year player option that the Cubs declined.

Early signs at the general managers meetings last week indicated that Imanaga might continue to test the market, boasting a strong body of work over two seasons in MLB. But by accepting, he extended his time in Chicago, where he quickly became a fan and clubhouse favorite. And he gave himself a chance to hit free agency next year without a QO tag and with what could be a stronger platform season.

“He was amazing for us as a pitcher, as a teammate,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said at GM meetings last week, “and I don’t want to close that door completely by any by any stretch.”

Imanaga far surpassed expectations in his 2024 rookie season (15-3, 2.91 ERA), when he earned a no-brainer All-Star selection and finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting.

He still showed flashes of that dominance in 2025 (9-8, 3.73 ERA). But Imanaga sustained the first lower-body muscle injury of his career, and a loss of strength and flexibility because of that hamstring strain is believed to have contributed to his struggles down the stretch.

The Cubs’ offseason plan for him focuses on addressing those issues and returning his delivery to its most effective and consistent version.

“The velocity comes back, extension comes back, starting to get swing-and-miss up in the zone a little bit more,” general manager Carter Hawkins said of how to get Imanaga back to his previous All-Star form, “that’s when he’s been at his best.”

The Cubs also extended the qualifying offer to right fielder Kyle Tucker. But he was always expected to decline and remain arguably the top free agent in this year’s class. If he signs with a different team, the Cubs will qualify for draft compensation.

Tucker’s age (28 years old), tools, and reputation after four straight All-Star seasons will make him popular among teams looking to upgrade their lineups. In his one season with the Cubs, he posted a .841 OPS and was a silver slugger, boosted by a red-hot first half at the plate.

The Cubs met with Tucker’s agent at the GM meetings last week, but the team’s focus this offseason will lean toward pitching. Bringing back Imanaga was the first step, but they still need to rebuild the bullpen and, ideally, also bolster their rotation with a frontline addition.