SF Giants reportedly pursuing coveted international prospect

The San Francisco Giants hope that third time’s the charm with their pursuit of a Japanese prospect this offseason, as their sights are reportedly now set on lefty Shota Imanaga.

MLB reporter Mark Feinsand reported Monday that the Giants are the most likely landing spot for the 30-year-old southpaw from Kitakyushu. Feinsand cited a source that said, “It’s all pointing to the Giants.” Specifically, per the unnamed source, the ball club is extra motivated after failing to bring in Shohei Ohtani or Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who both signed with the Dodgers, and “they don’t want to miss out again.”

Elsewhere, a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale published Sunday, discussed how the Giants’ potential interest in a different marquee free agent is waning. San Francisco is out on former Cy Young winner and noted Dodger killer Blake Snell, who has spent the last three seasons with the Padres, Nightengale reported, adding that unless Snell’s “price tag dramatically drops, they’re not interested in the defending Cy Young winner.” 

Snell is said to be seeking upwards of $200 million, while Feinsand reports that Imanaga’s looking for a $75 million deal over five years. Choosing the more frugal option certainly falls in line with the “somewhat break even” comment Giants owner Greg Johnson made at the end of October, but it doesn’t match up with what the Giants have claimed to be doing to allure the big names they’ve whiffed on so far.

That said, the Giants aren’t alone in shuddering at Snell’s price tag. As Nightengale noted, teams are reportedly concerned over the lack of longevity in his starts. Snell only pitched past six innings three times last year, and he has never made it through eight innings in his career. At 31, it’s hard to imagine going the distance is a habit he could suddenly pick up now. 

The concern with Imanaga might be that his career numbers are similar to Snell’s, but he is playing at a level below the majors. That said, Imanaga has displayed his skills against Major League talent. In the gold-medal game of the World Baseball Classic against the United States, Imanaga struck out two and allowed one run in his two-inning start for Japan. His stuff from the mound also seems to send pitching nerds into a frenzy. 

Ultimately, the Giants can’t really afford to be too picky with the talent they pursue, as they’re hoping to show that 2021 wasn’t a big fluke and that they can be better than this mediocre stretch of middling records indicate. What’s the point of cleaning house with coaching if the less-than-stellar talent is going to remain?

At this point, fans appear to mostly be hoping that the Giants simply sign somebody, anybody noteworthy. If that somebody is a solid 30-year-old Japanese prospect who can do well in the third slot of a lineup for a price that ownership doesn’t find off-putting, then so be it.