LAS VEGAS — The Yankees have a needle to string this offseason with their rotation, needing to construct up sufficient depth with out blocking spots for the pitchers they plan to get again from the injured record early within the season.And although they don’t seem to be essentially anticipated to play on the very high of the free agent market to handle that want, one arm that could possibly be of curiosity is Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai.
The 27-year-old right-hander is scheduled to be posted Wednesday, his agent Scott Boras stated, opening a 45-day window to signal with a significant league membership.
“When most groups discuss to me about Imai, they are saying, ‘Oh my,’” Boras stated Wednesday on the GM conferences. “He’s that sort of man. I believe while you watch him pitch, he leaves an indelible mark on you. Type of a Tatsuya. So that you at all times bear in mind what you noticed and the way that sort of expertise has transformed over right here, has completed so effectively.”
The Yankees have come up quick of their latest pursuit of Japanese stars coming over to the states, most not too long ago with Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who each signed with the Dodgers as an alternative.
GM Brian Cashman stated Wednesday the Yankees’ days of succeeding within the Japanese market are “too lengthy gone.”
“I’m fascinated with gravitating to any participant anyplace on the planet, together with Japan,” Cashman stated. “We’ll play in these markets, if it’s a match for us, and we’ll attempt to land a participant domestically or internationally, it doesn’t actually matter.”
Whether or not that entails Imai stays to be seen, although the Yankees will want some assist regardless to outlive the early a part of the season, after they already know they will be with out not less than Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt as they return from their respective surgical procedures.
“Hopefully well being is blessed … within the early portion of February, March and April — however you may’t depend on that, so in fact we’ll be exploring defend ourselves so we’re not taking up water early as a result of our rotation is compromised out of the gate,” Cashman stated.
With David Bednar set to be the Yankees’ nearer subsequent season, Cashman stated the Yankees don’t view the highest of the reliever market as a “stress level,” but additionally stated that may not stop them from including to the bullpen.
Together with Bednar, Cashman talked about Camilo Doval, Fernando Cruz, Tim Hill, Brent Headrick, Jake Fowl and Scott Effross — although he didn’t point out Mark Leiter Jr. or Ian Hamilton, two non-tender candidates — as items for a possible bullpen subsequent season.
“Now we have some high quality down there we have to enhance upon as a result of definitely there’s just a few guys that left us in free company — we’ll discuss to them as effectively in Devin Williams and [Luke] Weaver, together with different various selections within the market and see the place that takes us,” Cashman stated.
Max Fried completed fourth in AL Cy Younger voting and Rodón sixth, with Tigers ace Tarik Skubal taking house the award for the second straight 12 months.
