LAS VEGAS – The Yankees have a needle to thread with their rotation this offseason, and need to build enough depth without blocking spots for the pitchers they plan to return from the injured list early in the season. And while they won’t necessarily be expected to play at the very top of the free agent market to fill that need, one arm that could be interesting is Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai.
The 27-year-old right-hander will be posted on Wednesday, his agent Scott Boras said, opening a 45-day window to sign with a major league club.
“When most teams talk to me about Imai, they say, ‘Oh my,’” Boras said during the GM meetings on Wednesday. “He’s that kind of guy. I think when you see him pitch, he leaves an indelible impression on you. A bit of a Tatsuya. So you always remember what you saw and how that kind of talent translated here and did so well.”
The Yankees have fallen short in their recent search for Japanese stars to come to the United States, most recently with Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto both signing with the Dodgers.
General Manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday that the Yankees’ successful days in the Japanese market are “too long gone.”
“I am interested in signing any player anywhere in the world, including Japan,” Cashman said. “We will play in those markets, if it suits us, and we will try to bring in a player domestically or internationally, it doesn’t really matter.”
Whether or not that involves Imai remains to be seen, though either way the Yankees will need some help to survive the first part of the season, when they already know they’ll be without Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt when they return from their respective surgeries.
“Hopefully health will be blessed … early in February, March and April – but you can’t count on that, so of course we’ll look at how we can protect ourselves so that we don’t take on water early because our rotation out of the gate is compromised,” Cashman said.
With David Bednar set to be the Yankees’ closer next season, Cashman said the Yankees don’t view the top of the reliever market as a “pressure point,” but also said that wouldn’t stop them from adding to the bullpen.
Along with Bednar, Cashman mentioned Camilo Doval, Fernando Cruz, Tim Hill, Brent Headrick, Jake Bird and Scott Effross – although he did mention Mark Leiter Jr. or Ian Hamilton, two non-recommended prospects – not mentioned as pieces for a potential bullpen next season.
“We have some quality there that we need to improve because there are certainly a few guys who have left us in Free Agency – we will also talk to them in Devin Williams and [Luke] Weaver, along with other alternative choices on the market, and see where that takes us,” Cashman said.
Max Fried finished fourth in the AL Cy Young voting and Rodón sixth, with Tigers ace Pull Skubal taking home the prize for the second year in a row.
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