Recent reports have suggested that the New York Yankees are one of the teams in the mix for right-hander Tatsuya Imai, a starter out of Japan.
Coming over from Japan always presents challenges, but Imai has the stuff to be one of the better starters in baseball if everything translates the way many expect it to.
While he appears to be a clean fit for several teams around the league, Jim Bowden of The Athletic reported that the Yankees and a few others are currently viewed as the favorites.
Despite the upside of signing a starter of his caliber, Bowden also noted that some teams are skeptical about Imai’s small frame.
“Imai is fascinating. His small frame may scare off some but given his dominance and durability in Japan, it shouldn’t be a concern for most teams. The teams that he’s been linked to the most are the Cubs, Yankees, Mets and Padres, and all of those clubs make sense.
“The Cubs would like another starter and they could certainly use a younger option since three-fifths of their rotation is over 34 years old (Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon and Colin Rea), making Imai a particularly good fit in Chicago,” he wrote.
Imai is small for a starting pitcher, and frankly, for any big-league player, at 5-foot-10, 140 pounds, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be very good.
He’s already proven to be an elite pitcher in Japan, and if anything, teams should feel encouraged by that.
If he’s able to add some weight, his stuff could play at an even higher level moving forward.
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