Yankees Could Get Bargain With Japanese Free Agent

The New York Yankees are making pitching a priority this offseason, and are in the mix to pick up recently-posted right-handed starter Tatsuya Imai. The Athletic's Eno Sarris recently named Imai among the best bargains in free agency, given his talent, potential and estimated contract.

"So, on comps based on the bare minimum of information, Imai already looks like a decent bet in free agency," Sarris wrote. "It gets better if you look under the hood. On velocity alone, Imai sat around 95 mph in Japan and touched 100 — if he sits closer to his max, as is the custom in MLB, he would have the best fastball of this trio by miles per hour."

"It gets even better once you consider the shape of Imai’s fastball and his arm angle. Estimating his arm angle around 20 degrees, and using pitch movement numbers provided by Marquee Sports analyst Lance Brozdowski, we can find comps for his fastball in the big leagues."

The comparable arms in question are Joe Ryan of the Minnesota Twins, Cole Henry of the Washington Nationals and Luis Castillo of the Milwaukee Brewers. Imai has been projected for a seven-year, $154 million contract per Jim Bowden of The Athletic.

What Imai Brings to the Yankees

Oct 1, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon (55) reacts after a double play during the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox during game two of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

At 27 years old, Imai would make a meaningful addition to a Yankees rotation that is well-experienced but riskier, with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon missing the beginning of next season at least, and under-proven, with younger arms like Cam Schlittler and Will Warren rounding things out. In their second offseason pitching move, the Yankees re-signed starter/reliever Ryan Yarbrough (33) who they may use as a starter as well, at least while their best arms are finishing their recoveries.

Trent Grisham's qualifying offer has some worrying that the Yankees will not have the budget to be as aggressive as they had hoped this offseason, and there may be some merit to that concern as far as Imai is concerned. With respect to outfielder Cody Bellinger, general manager Brian Cashman recently mentioned that the QO will not affect their pursuit. Both Imai and Bellinger are represented by agent Scott Boras.

Go get me Tatsuya Imai please

pic.twitter.com/zGiiRBHycR
— Playoff Judge (@OctoberJudge1) November 18, 2025

The Yankees have been accused of falling behind on the burgeoning market for Japanese stars, which is a particularly hot topic this offseason. A World Series win from the Los Angeles Dodgers with huge Japanese stars leading the charge has some frustrated that the Yankees have not managed to sign an NPB player since their 2013 acquisition of Masahiro Tanaka (who left the team after his seven-year contract ended, in 2020). The Yankees may finally remedy that for 2026.

Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!