BREAKING: Shōta Imanaga Accepts Qualifying Offer

Shōta Imanaga has accepted the qualifying offer, according to Patrick Mooney, and will remain with the Cubs for the 2026 season.

Shota Imanaga will be returning to the Chicago Cubs on a one-year, $22.025 million contract, a league source briefed on his decision said before Tuesday’s deadline to accept or reject qualifying offers.

— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) November 18, 2025

Reports had previously indicated that Imanaga would decline the QO, but after testing the free-agent market during the GM meetings in Las Vegas, his agency decided that the best deal was for him to stay in Chicago for one more year.

His performance tailed off near the end of the 2025 season, followed by two games in which he allowed six runs during the Cubs’ brief playoff run. Home runs were a significant problem for the southpaw, and something the Cubs will look to address in the offseason.