The Detroit Tigers could use some more pitching, and according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi, they are "showing interest" in Shota Imanaga.
The Tigers traded away Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize at the trade deadline and Jack Flaherty is a free agent. The rotation will need some new arms, and Imanaga is an interesting case.
He is not one of the top arms on the market, but he does have a 3.45 ERA in 86 career starts with the Chicago Cubs. He had a 3.77 ERA last season and struck out 174 batters. Michael King and Freddy Peralta seem like better options, and the Tigers will surely check in on them as well.
While Imanaga does have an All-Star nod, he has one fatal flaw. He gives up a ton of home runs. He gave up 35 homers last season and 31 in 2025. Even during his All-Star season, he gave up 27 home runs. He has been top five in home runs allowed in each of his seasons as a big leaguer, and was second last season.
On a positive note, he does not walk a ton of batters. He ranked in the 95th percentile for walk rate last season.
Imanaga could perform better in Comerica Park. It is a tougher venue to hit home runs in than Wrigley Field, which could help solve some of his woes.