Japanese righty Tatsuya Imai could intriguing Yankees rotation option

LAS VEGAS — The Yankees have a needle to thread this offseason with their rotation, needing to build up enough depth without blocking spots for the pitchers they plan to get back from the injured list early in the season.And though they are not necessarily expected to play at the very top of the free agent market to address that need, one arm that could be of interest is Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai.

The 27-year-old right-hander is scheduled to be posted Wednesday, his agent Scott Boras said, opening a 45-day window to sign with a major league club.

“When most teams talk to me about Imai, they say, ‘Oh my,’” Boras said Wednesday at the GM meetings. “He’s that kind of guy. I think when you watch him pitch, he leaves an indelible mark on you. Kind of a Tatsuya. So you always remember what you saw and how that type of talent has converted over here, has done so well.”

The Yankees have come up short in their recent pursuit of Japanese stars coming over to the states, most recently with Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who both signed with the Dodgers instead.

Tatsuya Imai of Saitama Seibu Lions throws against Orix Buffaloes at Belluna Dome on April 25, 2025 in Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan. Getty Images

GM Brian Cashman said Wednesday the Yankees’ days of succeeding in the Japanese market are “too long gone.”

“I’m interested in gravitating to any player anywhere in the world, including Japan,” Cashman said. “We’ll play in those markets, if it’s a fit for us, and we’ll try to land a player domestically or internationally, it doesn’t really matter.”

Whether that involves Imai remains to be seen, though the Yankees will need some help regardless to survive the early part of the season, when they already know they are going to be without at least Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt as they return from their respective surgeries.

“Hopefully health is blessed … in the early portion of February, March and April — but you can’t count on that, so of course we’ll be exploring how to protect ourselves so we’re not taking on water early because our rotation is compromised out of the gate,” Cashman said.

With David Bednar set to be the Yankees’ closer next season, Cashman said the Yankees do not view the top of the reliever market as a “pressure point,” but also said that would not prevent them from adding to the bullpen.

Along with Bednar, Cashman mentioned Camilo Doval, Fernando Cruz, Tim Hill, Brent Headrick, Jake Bird and Scott Effross — though he did not mention Mark Leiter Jr. or Ian Hamilton, two non-tender candidates — as pieces for a potential bullpen next season.

“We have some quality down there we need to improve upon because certainly there’s a few guys that left us in free agency — we’ll talk to them as well in Devin Williams and [Luke] Weaver, along with other alternative choices in the marketplace and see where that takes us,” Cashman said.

Max Fried finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting and Rodón sixth, with Tigers ace Tarik Skubal taking home the award for the second straight year.