Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

Shota Imanaga followed up a brilliant 2024 debut (2.91 ERA, 25.1% K rate, 4.0% BB rate) with a more volatile 2025 campaign, as his ERA climbed to 3.73 and his strikeout rate dipped to 20.6%. While he continued to limit walks at an elite clip (4.6% BB%) and suppress batting average (.218 BAA), a spike in home run rate (5.5% HR%) and hard-hit contact (43.9%) led to a sharp jump in FIP (4.86). Fantasy managers should view Imanaga as a mild faller entering 2026 drafts, though his strong command and projected workload stability keep him firmly in SP3 territory if the homer regression stabilizes.

Edward Cabrera put together his most complete season in 2025, logging a career-high 137 2/3 innings with a 3.53 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and a career-best 8.3% walk rate. The improved command was the key development, as his strikeout rate (25.8%) remained comfortably above league average while his BB% dipped closer to MLB norms (8.4%). Projections suggest similar strikeout production with manageable walks, Cabrera profiles as a high-upside SP3 in fantasy with room for more if the control gains stick.

Cade Horton broke through in 2025 with a 2.67 ERA and 1.09 WHIP across 118 innings, finishing second in NL Rookie of the Year voting after posting a 144 ERA+. His underlying profile was strong but not overpowering, as his 3.58 FIP and 7.4 K/9 suggest more command-and-contact management than bat-missing dominance. The 2026 projections push him closer to the mid-3.00s in ERA with a modest bump in workload, which frames Horton as a high-floor SP3/SP4. Without elite strikeout volume, his value will hinge on efficiency, wins, and ratio stability in a competitive Cubs rotation. Draft him as a steady innings stabilizer, but avoid paying for a repeat sub-2.75 ERA unless there's tangible growth in swing-and-miss.