The New York Yankees are seen as the favorites to land Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai. The Seibu Lions have approved the posting of Imai late last night, and if approved, he’ll be able to negotiate with all 30 MLB teams. He is going to have a huge market, with the Yankees atop the list.
Yankees Want a Japanese Star
It’s been a long time since there’s been a Japanese superstar in The Bronx, but getting back in the NPB market is among their top priorities this offseason. There is a ton of talent coming over from Japan, but the best fit for the Yankees is Imai. With Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon set to miss time at the start of 2026, they need to add another front-line starter this offseason. The last time they added a big-name pitcher from Japan was Masahiro Tanaka.
Imai had an incredible season, posting a 1.92 ERA in 163.2 innings, striking out 178 batters. The ace features six pitches: a 4-seam fastball, changeup, slider, curveball, splitter, and sinker. His fastball usually sits around 95-96 MPH, but can get up to 99. At just 27 years old, Tatsuya is going to command a long-term deal, as this will most likely be the most expensive contract he’ll get in his career.
Being represented by Scott Boras, he’s ensured to make top dollar. Imai is expected to get a contract that pays him anywhere between $80 million $100 million, per Jeff Passan. A realistic contract would be a seven-year deal for $165 million.
Tatsuya Imai Fits Perfectly
The Yankees have made valiant efforts to land a Japanese superstar in previous offseasons, but they all decided to take their talents to the West Coast. They were a finalist for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but as we all know, he ended up joining Shohei Ohtani on the Dodgers. With New York having a lot of money to work with this offseason, Imai will be a top target.
He would give them much-needed stability in their rotation. Last year was a prime example of why you can never have enough pitching. After signing Max Fried, they were set to have one of, if not the best, rotations in all of baseball. It was completely derailed by the end of Spring Training.
Adding Imai to this rotation would give them a relatively young pitcher who has stayed healthy throughout his career, which is something the Yankees have lacked for years.
