The free agent market for Shōta Imanaga is shaping up

The baseball world is waiting for the next big domino to fall with notable names like Blake Snell, Josh Hader, Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman still available.

It remains to be seen if any of those players will sign this week, but another notable free agent will almost certainly be off the board by Thursday: Shota Imanaga.

The Japanese left-hander's posting period ends Thursday at 5pm ET, so if he plans to move to Major League Baseball, Imanaga must sign with the club before that deadline.

The Giants, Red Sox, Cubs and Angels are ranked by sources as finalists for Imanaga, but according to one source, San Francisco may be the favorite.

“It all points to the Giants,” the source said. “They missed it [Shohei] Otani and [Yoshinobu] Yamamoto, and even though Imanaga is not on the same level as these guys, they don't want to miss the opportunity again.

Imanaga is expected to receive more than the five-year, $75 million deal Kodai Senga signed with the Mets last season, though it is less than the number Snell or Jordan Montgomery will receive when they eventually sign.

Farhan Zaidi, the Giants' president of baseball operations, confirmed last week that the club “has been in talks” with Imanaga's representatives, adding that the lefty “has done a really great job there and has a very active free agent market.”

While the Giants may emerge as favorites for Imanaga, the Angels — who have a greater need for a starter — can't be ruled out. Los Angeles signed Zach Plesac last week, but the rotation is still thin. The Red Sox are another club that could still make a move for Imanaga, who would become Boston's only left-handed player following the recent trade of Chris Sale to the Braves and the signing of Lucas Giolito.

Then there are the Mets, who got strong results from Senga in his first season. New York added Luis Severino, Adrian Howser and Sean Mania this winter, and according to a source, new president of baseball operations David Stearns is “actively trying to trade up for more starters.” It remains to be seen if the Mets are trying to add an impact starter or simply looking for rotation depth, but they are not believed to be in the mix with Snell or Montgomery given their respective price tags.

Imanaga is 64-50 with a 3.18 ERA in 165 games during his career in Nippon Professional Baseball from 2016-23. He posted a 2.66 ERA in 24 starts last season, striking out 188 batters in 159 innings. The left-hander also helped Team Japan win the World Baseball Classic last spring.