The Giants reportedly are out of the running to land another one of their MLB free-agency targets.
One day after MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported San Francisco was among the finalists to land Japanese left-hander Shota Imanaga, MLB Network's Jon Heyman shared a conflicting report.
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Imanaga's posting period expires Thursday at 2 p.m. PT, so he must sign with a team before that.
Playing with the Yokohama Bay Stars in 2023, Imanaga posted a 7-5 record with a 2.66 ERA in 159 innings pitched with 188 strikeouts to 24 walks.
The Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs are two teams that have been tied to the 30-year-old. The Los Angeles Angels, who previously were in on the Imanaga sweepstakes, reportedly also are "looking elsewhere at the moment," Heyman said.
Imanaga has been viewed as the second-best international pitcher on the free-agent market, behind another of San Francisco's free-agent targets Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who signed a record $325 million, 12-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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But Yamamoto and Imanaga aren't the only players the Giants have missed out on in free agency, as the biggest hit to the gut was the Giants watching two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani join their rivals in Los Angeles.
San Francisco signed Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee to a six-year, $113 million contract last month, but it's clear more moves must be made to keep up with the powerhouse Dodgers in the NL West in 2024 and beyond.
The Giants still have been tied to players like Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman and Marcus Stroman, but with the way things have gone this offseason, they'll hope to pull out at least one more big move.
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