MLB Rumors: Shocking Update On Yankees Pursuit Of Tatsuya Imai
Speaking to reporters Friday, Boone said the Yankees haven’t met with Imai and don’t currently have a meeting scheduled. When asked if he expects that to change, Boone’s answer was about as noncommittal as it gets: “I don’t know.”
Tatsuya Imai’s signing window closes in 11 days, January 2nd.
— Everything Yankees (@eyyankees) December 22, 2025
His market has hardly any momentum. pic.twitter.com/cC2P9x6JXj
There’s still time for Imai to visit teams and talk face-to-face, but we’re now into the part of the calendar where the process usually looks more concrete. Reports have painted the Yankees as a finalist or front-runner at different points, and Brian Cashman has acknowledged Imai’s talent while noting he’s in contact with a lot of agents, including Scott Boras.
Still, Boone’s update suggests the Yankees either haven’t pushed hard in the traditional pitch meeting way yet, or they’re keeping things extremely quiet while doing their work behind the scenes.
What Tatsuya Imai brings, and why teams are racing the posting deadline
Imai, 27, is coming off a monster season in Japan with a 1.92 ERA over 163.2 innings, plus 178 strikeouts and multiple complete games. That resume is exactly why he’s become the top overseas starter to watch this winter, and why multiple teams have been connected to him, including the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets.
One reason a Yankees meeting may not have happened yet is logistics, since Imai has been in Japan for much of the offseason and could be timing a U.S. trip closer to the end of the window. But the clock is still the clock, and Jan. 2 doesn’t move.
Both Tatsuya Imai & Kazuma Okamoto would be good fits for the #Yankees. The only issue appears to be their reluctance to pay the asking prices, as they’re already content with what they currently have.
— The Yankees Blog (@DericFung) December 22, 2025
There’s also the layer of Imai’s own preferences floating around. One report cites comments attributed to him about not wanting to join the Los Angeles Dodgers, framing it as a competitor mindset instead of hopping onto a superteam. Whether that impacts the Yankees directly is unclear, but it does reinforce the idea that this race might not be as predictable as the usual big-market favorite wins story.
If the Yankees don’t land Imai, the optics get tricky fast
From a roster standpoint, the fit makes sense. The Yankees have reason to want rotation help, and other American League contenders have been active adding arms. That’s why Boone saying there’s no meeting scheduled immediately reads as either a surprise lack of urgency or a deliberate attempt to keep information from leaking.
The truth could be somewhere in the middle. It’s possible the Yankees are in contact without doing the full presentation yet, or they’re prepared to pivot to other pitching options if the Imai market turns into a bidding war.
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