Once the post becomes official, Imai and Boras will have 45 days to negotiate with all thirty Major League clubs. Technically, they have until early January to work something out. It’s probably reasonable to expect a deal to come together before the holidays, when hot stove activity tends to slow down.
Imai should attract a lot of interest based on his results and also his age. His earned run average in Japan has now been 2.34 or lower for three straight seasons, including a 1.92 mark in 2025. His strikeout rate has increased from 24.4% in 2023 to 26.3% last year and 27.8% this year. Meanwhile, his walk rate has dropped from 11.4% to 9.8% to 7% over those years.
He is currently 27 years old and will turn 28 in May. Teams have shown that they value that youth. Recent deals for young players such as Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Yoshinobu Yamamoto And Junghoo Lee have risen above expectations.
Imai won’t have as much earning power as Yamamoto, who raked in $325 million in 12 years. Yamamoto was even younger, having just turned 25 when he was drafted, and also had a superior performance track record. Still, Imai should be able to count on a lot of interest. MLBTR predicted he could get a $150 million guarantee on a six-year deal.
The signing team also owes the Lions a postal fee, in addition to the guarantee they give to Imai. The Lions will get 20% of the first $25 million of the contract, 17.5% of the next $25 million of the contract and 15% of any money over $50 million. If Imai were to sign a deal matching MLBTR’s projection of $150 million, his new team would owe the Lions a post fee of $24.375 million.
The righty is already connected to the Mets. Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported today that the Yankees will also look at Imai Luke Giolito. The Yanks enter 2026 with their rotation in flux. Due to injuries, things are expected to be much different later in the year than they were at the end of camp. Gerrit Kool is still recovering from last year’s Tommy John surgery and won’t be ready on opening day. Carlos Rodon underwent a procedure to remove loose bodies from his left elbow and is also expected to start on the injured list this year. Clarke Schmidt underwent internal brace surgery in July and was able to rejoin the club in the second half.
The Yankees hope to start the season with these absences Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Luis Gil, Will Warren And Allan Winans in the rotation. Expanding that group would be an understandable target. It’s possible things could get tight later in the year if Cole, Rodón and Schmidt get healthy, but other injuries could crop up along the way.
Giolito should be a much cheaper addition than Imai. MLBTR projected him to a two-year deal worth $32 million. He was once a borderline great, but hasn’t been at that level in a while. His ERA finished around 5.00 in 2022 and 2023. He missed 2024 due to internal brace surgery. He returned in 2025 and posted a 3.41 ERA, but with less impressive stuff under the hood. His strikeout rate of 19.7% was below league average and well below the 33.7% he had in 2020. He also finished the season on the IL with an elbow issue, although he says that is now over.
There are plenty of other starting pitchers the Yankees could consider at various price points. Presumably their plans in the rotation will depend on what they do elsewhere. They need to address their outfield with Cody Bellinger And Trent Grisham after they both reached free agency. It’s also possible they want to rebuild a bullpen that was a source of frustration in 2025.
Photo courtesy of Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images.
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