Yankees 'in the running' for top Japanese free agent ace Tatsuya Imai

1 week ago 2

Yankees 'in the running' for top Japanese free agent ace Tatsuya Imai originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The New York Yankees haven't been nearly as active as other top contenders around Major League Baseball this offseason. They've not signed a top free agent, and don't look to be aggressive anytime soon.

While they're interested in re-signing Cody Bellinger, their big offseason move might be a different transaction. Instead of a bat, the Yankees might turn to the rotation.

According to a report from Yahoo Japan, the Yankees are one of three teams in the running for the top right-handed ace from Japan, 27-year-old Tatsuya Imai.

Yankees 'in the running' for Tatsuya Imai in free agency

Brian Murphy of MLB.com helped clarify the report from Yahoo Japan, saying that the Yankees, alongside the Philadelphia Phillies, are "teams in the running for Imai."

The Chicago White Sox are the current favorite based on this report, as they're supposedly "rapidly emerging as strong contenders for Imai," according to the Yahoo Japan report.

While the Yankees haven't been making any big moves this offseason, bringing in Imai into the rotation would be a good move to make for Brian Cashman and the Yankees.

With his lackluster market so far this offseason, signing Imai might not cost nearly as much as some of the other top free agent starters on the market.

More: Yankees linked to signing free agent pitcher to follow in Masahiro Tanaka's footsteps

Even if it's a one or two-year deal, bringing in Imai, a right-hander who had a 1.92 ERA in 24 starts in 2025 with 178 strikeouts, makes a lot of sense.

His posting window is up on Friday, January 2nd, meaning the Yankees, as of Tuesday, December 30th, have just three days to work out a deal for the Japanese pitcher.

There are just three teams linked to Imai in this report, with the Phillies, White Sox, and Yankees being the top landing spots for Imai at this point.

While teams like the Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, and others could emerge as options, for now, the Yankees have a decent chance to sign the top right-handed free agent out of Japan this winter.