The New York Yankees weren’t able to make it back to the World Series in 2025 after a strong 2024 MLB season. New York faced several challenges throughout the campaign, starting with Gerrit Cole’s injury at the start of the year. Now, following the pitching struggles, the Yankees are linked to a star Japanese pitcher in free agency.
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, right-handed Japanese pitcher Tatsuya Imai would not be intimidated by the idea of pitching for the Yankees. Imai headlines the international free agents as a top starting pitcher who excelled with the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball.
Imai would be a massive upgrade for New York’s rotation, with the Japan to MLB pipeline resulting in several outstanding pitchers. Over the last few seasons, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shota Imanaga, and Tomoyuki Sugano have come to MLB with tremendous success.
The Yankees need to add a starting pitcher to their rotation, with Imai’s durability and good command making him a very intriguing target. It is unclear how much it will take to land Imai’s services, but New York should push hard to make this deal happen.
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