Japan’s top free-agent pitcher doesn’t want to be a Dodger and that could be a good development for the Yankees.
The Yankees are interested in signing righty Tatsuya Imai, the Post reports, and there have been recent reports linking the two sides ahead of his Jan. 2 signing deadline.
Former Mets general manager Steve Phillips recently said on MLB Network Radio that teams’ offers are in the $150-$180 million range, and he said the Yankees may be willing to go the distance.
“The reports right now are that the Yankees are aggressively looking for a starter and are in a position to land Imai or Michael King,” Phillips said.
“… It sounds like they are blowing the budget a bit to bring in another starting pitcher, besides the fact that they still need (Cody) Bellinger and/or someone else for their outfield.”
Despite having three long-term pitching contracts under their belts, the Yankees could use an arm as there are questions about when three starters will be ready.
Gerrit Cole will likely miss Opening Day upon his return from Tommy John surgery, Carlos Rodon underwent an elbow scope that puts him on the injured list to start the season and Clarke Schmidt could be out for about half the season, if not longer, after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
The question is how far they are willing to go to secure an extra arm to join the expected rotation of Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and Luis Gil, and their indication in Imai – and seemingly to a lesser extent King – shows they may be willing to make another major investment.
Imai, 27, is a fascinating target with his mid-90s fastball and slider combination.
He has posted a 2.14 ERA over the past two years in 49 starts for the Seibu Lions in the Japan Pacific League, while racking up 365 strikeouts in 337 innings.
The Cubs and Phillies are also among the interested teams and Imai could meet suitors this week, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Yankees previously chased Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, but lost all three to the Angels (Ohtani) and Dodgers (Yamamoto, Sasaki).
They offered Yamomoto $300 million, which was lower than the $325 million raised by the Dodgers and Mets.
However, the Dodgers apparently won’t sign Imai, with the judge claiming he would rather cut them and even recently telling a Japanese outlet, “They don’t need me.”
The Yankees have also been linked to King, their former starter/reliever whom they traded to San Diego in the Juan Soto deal, who is looking for his first big payday.
“It’s a bit of a complication,” Phillips said of the Yankees’ pitching situation, “because you’ve got a guy here who’s never pitched before and you’re going to have to integrate him into your roster, into Major League Baseball, but they’ve done that before and they’ve done that successfully in New York.
“On the other hand, Michael King, one of their former guys, has had a bit of an injury history here lately. The question is, how much is involved? So the Yankees are kind of in the middle.”
If the Yankees spend big on a starter, it could limit their ability to keep Bellinger or acquire another expensive bat to replace him if he leaves.
Hal Steinbrenner has indicated that he will not open his wallet to spend money this winter.
Phillips noted that the Yankees’ maneuvers will be intriguing to watch.
“It’s going to be interesting what the Yankees do because if they lose Bellinger, their pivot isn’t as clear. It doesn’t seem realistic to me that if they don’t get Bellinger, they’re going to go to the player that some people are still projecting at $400 million — I don’t think that’s him — … in Kyle Tucker,” Phillips said. “They’re working on the pitcher, King of Imai, they’re working on Bellinger.
“What do they do if they don’t get one of those three?”
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