Pitching is arguably the most important thing in Major League Baseball, and for the contending New York Yankees, they simply can never have enough.
As the Yankees head into the remainder of the campaign, before free agency, they'll have to hope their pitching staff throws the baseball at the level it can.
After that, the Yankees will likely be in the mix for another starter, with some suggesting that they could even get in play for a Japanese star.
Yankees predicted to jump into Japanese market
When predicting where the top three Japanese free agents would land on the market, Jake Elman of FanSided predicted that the Yankees would land Tatsuya Imai, a 27-year-old right-hander who many believe could be $200 million plus.
“Passan shared that sources are divided on how much Imai could command on the open market, with one estimate going as high as $200 million. Others were more skeptical, and one of Passan’s sources even proposed an $80 million contract. Don’t be surprised to see the New York Yankees or San Diego Padres go all-in on trying to land Imai, especially given their history in attracting Japanese pitchers,” he wrote.
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The Yankees have shown over the past few years that they're willing to get involved with international prospects. They haven't had the most luck landing them, as most of them stay on the West Coast.
Due to California's proximity to Japan by airplane, many players prefer to play there.
However, it can't ever be counted out that the Yankees will do what the Yankees do best and land an elite player. Imai is throwing the baseball at a very high level this year in the JPPL, posting a 1.50 ERA and striking out 159 hitters in 143.2 innings.