The New York Yankees have made two very successful signings from Japan in the last few decades.
First it was at the plate, with Hideki Matsui. Then it was on the mound with Masahiro Tanaka.
They've got a chance this offseason to try and make it a trifecta. The talented righty pitcher Tatsuya Imai is available. He's a smaller pitcher, but he's been consistently excellent over the past four seasons in the NPB.
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MLB.com's Mark Feinsand thinks there's a real chance that the Yanks could land him in free agency after he was posted.
Imai has also said he'd rather beat the Dodgers than join them.
"The fact that Imai seems unlikely to go to the Dodgers opens up the Yankees' chances, though the Giants could be the biggest threat to New York or any other team interested in Imai," Feinsand writes. "The biggest question with the Giants is whether they're willing to spend six figures on a starter, because that seems like what it's going to take to sign Imai. The Yankees signed Masahiro Tanaka a little more than a decade ago and made a splash with Hideki Matsui, so there is precedent for New York taking a big shot at a Japanese star."
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As Feinsand writes, it seems every Imai speculative news includes the Giants as part of it. The Yankees have beat the Giants in free agency before, and if they're willing to open their wallets enough, they could do so again.
New York's rotation will eventually get Gerrit Cole back, although he's not expected to be ready for Opening Day. There's always space for another arm, especially one as talented as Imai.
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