Blue Jays Boss Hints at Serious Pursuit of Free Agent Japanese Star Tatsuya Imai
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The Toronto Blue Jays enter the offseason hungrier than ever after losing in Game 7 of the World Series in potentially the most heart breaking fashion possible to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
As Toronto gets set to approach the trade market and free agency, they do so coming off multiple consecutive winters of coming up just short in their pursuit of top available players.
The franchise has been willing to spend, they just have not landed the big fish to this point. Now though, they have the demonstrated proof that you can win with this organization, and the Blue Jays need to use it to their advantage.
Most notably, Toronto has missed out on Japanese superstars Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki in free agency and finished narrowly behind on all three. With another set to be posted in Tatsuya Imai this winter, it certainly sounds like they are gearing up to go after Imai with everything they've got.
Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins Praises Imai, Discusses Potential Impact
"A good player with a really interesting arsenal that had an incredible year," Atkins said when asked about Imai via Ben Nicholson-Smith of SportsNet before talking about a potential pursuit. "So we've done the [background] work and we have some more work to do on that front, but I'm glad that he's going to be an option for the industry."
Though Atkins did not exactly say definitively that Toronto would be pursuing Imai, it certainly seems like he thinks very highly of the young right-hander, and it would frankly be a surprise for them not to be in on the bidding.
The Blue Jays have been named to just about every best fits list for Imai since the news that he would be posted broke, and for good reason. It'd be a tremendous fit both for Toronto as well as Imai.
Imai Could Be Exactly What Blue Jays Need
Starting pitching was not what kept Toronto from World Series glory for the first time in over three decades, but championships are certainly won and lost on the arms of a rotation.
Adding Imai to a staff that will include Shane Bieber after his surprising opt-in decision, reliable veteran Kevin Gausman and rookie sensation Trey Yesavage would establish one of the best staffs in all of baseball.
The 27-year-old had an absurd 1.92 ERA and 0.892 WHIP last season over 24 appearances, striking out 178 over 163.2 innings pitched. Most encouraging is his improved command over the years, bringing his BB/9 from over 4.0 two years ago all the way down to just 2.5 in three years.
Imai has legitimate ace potential, and adding another ace to a staff that may already have several is a scary sight for the rest of the American League.
As always, the Blue Jays will have competition from just about every team in baseball for his services, but after putting on full display what this team can be when they produce a winner, Toronto should be as attractive as anywhere.
This time around, they might just finally land the signature they have been craving now for years.
Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.