Jeff Passan and Buster Olney of ESPN collaborated on a recent offseason article, and the Yankees are one of three teams linked as reasonable landing spots for RHP Tatsuya Imai.
Quoted directly from a Passan segment, the Japanese phenom could end up on the East Coast, with teams such as the Mets and Phillies involved in the mix.
Imai posted a 1.92 ERA last season for the Seibu Lions and is considered the headliner in an excellent class of Japanese talent, and the bidding for his services should reflect that.
His four-seamer has good velocity at 95 MPH, and he also sports a unique ‘wrong-way’ slider to go with a nasty splitter, but will the Yankees pony up the cash needed to break their NPB signing drought?
Tatsuya Imai Remains One of the Yankees’ Top Offseason Targets
One of the biggest feelings inside the Yankees’ organization is that they’re eager to re-enter the Japanese market, making a successful pursuit instead of being the bridesmaid as they were in the Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes.
Multiple sources told Empire Sports Media at various points of the offseason that the team would be expected to pursue Imai despite rumblings that the team was hoping to stay below the $300 million mark.
If the Yankees were to sign Imai they would almost certainly exceed the $300 million number, and while there’s no official reporting on my end that payroll will exceed that number, you can infer that this is not a hard cap for them.
The Yankees are malleable with payroll, adjusting the number they’d be willing to go to based on the opportunities presented to them in the free agent and trade markets, but Cody Bellinger remains a player of interest here too.
Would the Yankees be willing to spend on both Cody Bellinger and Tatsuya Imai?
That remains to be seen, but indications would suggest that they’ll pursue both players this winter, and Jeff Passan further reported that the other two teams (PHI/NYM) are also in on Cody Bellinger.
A competitive market could materalize for Bellinger if a team such as the Phillies, who actually have a ballpark that fits his swing well, get seriously involved in that bidding war.
Multiple reports have emerged over the last week suggesting that other big market teams could chase the Yankees’ left fielder, but the Bronx Bombers will make a strong effort to retain him.
Time will tell when either player signs, but for the Yankees, there’s a competitive East Coast battle playing out, and they’ll put their best foot forward in an attempt to ensure that they come out on top.