If the New York Yankees are unsuccessful in their free-agent pursuit of Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the organization is reportedly looking at his World Baseball Classic teammate as another option for the starting rotation in 2024.
A couple of weeks ago, the Yankees made one of the biggest splashes of the offseason when they completed a blockbuster trade for San Diego Padres All-Star Juan Soto. The addition of the young superstar certainly bolsters their lineup for next season and addresses a few key needs. However, starting pitching was still a priority for the organization this offseason.
Related: Risk in New York Yankees trade for Juan Soto got bigger after Shohei Ohtanis $700 million deal
Following veteran pitcher Luis Severino’s departure, the Yankees starting rotation after American League Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole is a big question mark. Big ticket 2022 free-agent addition Carlos Rodon missed most of this past season due to injury, and Nestor Cortes regressed after being an All-Star last year.
That is why New York has pushed hard to sign 25-year-old Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto. However, the three-time Nippon Professional Baseball MVP is being pursued by several other big-market franchises, including the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets. That is why it is far from a guarantee the Yanks will be successful in their chase for Yamamoto.
New York Yankees could reportedly enter chase for Shota Imanaga
The Pinstripes need a backup plan if they can’t land Yamamoto and New York Post MLB insider Jon Heyman reported late last week that “the Yankees are considering Japanese lefty Shota Imanaga if they don’t land Yoshinobu Yamamoto.”
While the market for the 30-year-old is not as deep as his WBC teammates, Heyman added he is also seen as a fallback option for the Mets, Dodgers, Cubs, and Red Sox if they can’t sign Yamamoto.
Imanaga is an eight-year veteran of the NPB and has played for the Yokohama Bay Stars his entire career. He has a career record of 74-55, a 2.96 ERA, and 1.076 WHIP, with 1,183 strikeouts in 1,129.2 innings. His stats are a few ticks behind what Mets ace Kodai Senga had during his career in the NPB before moving to MLB this season.
He pitched three times during this year’s World Baseball Classic and tallied one win, a 3.00 ERA, and 1.17 WHIP with seven strikeouts in six innings.
