The New York Yankees are looking to land their own Japanese game-changer in free agency this offseason.
The Yankees are expected to be “among the favorites” to sign Japanese pitching ace Tatsuya Imai, per reporter Francys Romero. The Saitama Seibu Lions reportedly approved the posting of the hard-throwing right-hander ahead of hot stove season.
The Seibu Lions have approved the posting of 27-year-old ace Tatsuya Imai. If the request is approved, he will have 45 days to negotiate with all 30 MLB teams.
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) November 10, 2025
The Yankees are expected to be among the favorites to land Imai, according to sources.
The 27-year-old was borderline unhittable in his ninth season as a pro. He maintained a 1.92 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP across 24 starts for the Lions in 2025. He also tallied 178 strikeouts across 163.2 innings pitched.
The Yankees were heavily in play for Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto when he decided to make the leap to MLB in 2023. New York was also in talks with Roki Sasaki before the youngster also eventually joined the Dodgers.
The Yankees could be headed for a bounce-back year if they can add Imai to a starting rotation that is also expected to get Gerrit Cole back from the injured list next season. But competition will likely be stiff with the recent success of Japanese-born players.
With names like Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, and Shohei Ohtani taking center stage during the Los Angeles Dodgers’ World Series run, more and more teams are looking to add talent from Nippon Professional Baseball.
The Yankees, who have had their fair share of Japanese stars over the years, have not had much success landing NPB talent of late. The Bronx Bombers were heavily in play for Yamamoto when he decided to make the leap to MLB in 2023. New York was also in talks with Roki Sasaki before the youngster also eventually joined the Dodgers. They were not even among the finalists for Ohtani’s services back in 2017.
Until Imai is actually seen wearing a Yankees cap with a contract-signing pen in his hand, fans have learned not to get too excited just yet.
