NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 08: New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman speaks to the media prior to the start of the game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on April 08, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
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After several harsh injury setbacks, the New York Yankees could be after a frontline rotation addition.
The team is expected to open next season without franchise ace Gerrit Cole, long-time staple Carlos Rodon or promising sparkplug Clarke Schmidt after they all underwent surgeries. So the team could be looking for some insurance to help carry the staff in the first part of the year and to contribute to a hopeful World Series run.
Assessing the trade and free agency markets, there are several veteran hurlers who could be good fits, including Dylan Cease, Ranger Suarez and Framber Valdez. But perhaps the most intriguing option is Tatsuya Imai, who enjoyed an excellent season in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league before announcing his intention to join Major League Baseball next season.
“I think when you watch him pitch, he leaves an indelible mark on you,” Imai’s agent, Scott Boras, said during the MLB general managers meetings in Las Vegas, per Greg Joyce of the New York Post. “So you always remember what you saw and how that type of talent has converted over here, has done so well.”
The Yankees have a history of successful conversions from Japan to the big leagues, with Hedeki Matsui and Masahiro Tanaka playing significant roles for the team. But their recent pursuits of star Japanese pitchers like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki have come up short, with those players choosing the rival Los Angeles Dodgers instead.
When asked about the team’s interest in Imai, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman sent a message focused on those failed pursuits and the rival’s recent success.
“We have been very aggressive in the more recent (Japanese) market, but fell short,” Cashman said, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. “Those players made the decision to go play for the Dodgers, and clearly the success has followed them. So I’m interested in gravitating to any player anywhere in the world, including Japan, and we’ll play in those markets if it’s a fit for us.”
Ever since the Dodgers added Shohei Ohtani and Yamamoto in the same offseason, it seems to be a foregone conclusion that they will be the top contender for any additional star player who comes over from Japan. But with the Dodgers’ rotation seemingly full and the Yankees facing a more pressing need, Cashman could be looking to buck that trend with Imai, who might help reestablish the Yankees’ foothold in acquiring talent from Japan.