MLB Rumors: Yankees Going Very Hard After One Free Agent

November 29, 2025
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone walks onto the field during 2025 game.

The New York Yankees have not felt this close to a Japanese pitching prize in a long time, and Tatsuya Imai might be the moment fans have been waiting for. 

Why Tatsuya Imai Yankees buzz is heating up

League insiders say the Yankees are seriously pursuing Tatsuya Imai as they scour the market for a rotation upgrade, a process that feels eerily similar to their failed chase of Yoshinobu Yamamoto. 

This time, the stakes are even higher. Gerrit Cole is still a question mark after missing the entire 2025 season following Tommy John surgery, and the rest of the staff is full of uncertainty. 

Imai, a three time All Star with the Seibu Lions in Nippon Professional Baseball, just put up a 1.92 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 178 strikeouts over 162 and two thirds innings. He has been posted and has until early January to sign what should be a sizable multi year deal, with some projections climbing into the nine figure range. 

How Tatsuya Imai could fit the New York Yankees

Imai openly said he would rather beat the Los Angeles Dodgers than join them, a rare stance at a time when so many Japanese stars are drawn to that market and its familiar faces. 

That comment may cool interest from several usual big market players and quietly benefit the Yankees, who have struggled to land a marquee name from Japan since Masahiro Tanaka.

If Imai truly wants the biggest possible challenge, the Yankee Stadium stage, and the chance to go directly at the club that just beat New York in the 2024 World Series practically sells itself.

Recent reporting suggests the Yankees do not want to completely blow up their budget on Imai if his market spikes, yet there is only so long they can watch other contenders act. 

The Toronto Blue Jays already made a massive statement by landing Dylan Cease, and the Boston Red Sox traded for Sonny Gray to stabilize their own rotation.

Photo Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

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