The clock is ticking on one of Japan’s best pitchers, as Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) product Tatsuya Imai has until January 2 to sign with an MLB team. His market has been surprisingly quiet up to this point, but that might change as the 27-year-old has six days left on his posting. So, while it’s certainly not a necessity for the New York Yankees, the team could benefit from adding another starter in Tatsuya Imai, to their rotation.
A Rotation With Question Marks
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At full strength, the Yankees have arguably the best rotation in all of baseball with Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Cam Schlittler, and Luis Gil. The issue, though, is that the Yankees will be far from fully healthy come Opening Day. For instance, Cole projects to return between late May and early June as the former Cy Young Award winner recovers from Tommy John Surgery. Rodon, meanwhile, is targeting a return to the rotation between late April and early May as he recovers from elbow surgery. This would give the Yankees a starting rotation of Fried, Schlittler, Gil, Will Warren, and Ryan Yarborough. It certainly wouldn’t be the most formidable group, but it wouldn’t hurt the Yankees by any means, either.
Imai’s Profile
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Imai is a fascinating player, particularly in terms of his pitch repertoire. While his average fastball velocity of 94.8 MPH sits around league average, his slider is the opposite, as it generated a 46% whiff rate in 2025. The pitch itself is more of a reverse slider, generating little horizontal movement. His splitter, meanwhile, generates an even higher whiff rate at 49%.
In 2025, Imai posted the best season of his career. Across 163 2/3 innings for the Saitama Seibu Lions, he went 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA and 178 strikeouts. He also significantly reduced his walk numbers, giving up 25 fewer walks in 2025 than in 2024.
The Verdict
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The addition of Tatsuya Imai makes perfect sense for the Yankees. In the Bronx, Imai wouldn’t be thrust into the rotation as a front-line starter. Rather, with established pitchers in Fried, Schlittler, and Gil already on the roster, Imai could ease into Major League Baseball as a back-end starter. Then, when Cole and Rodon return, the Yankees could either keep him in the starting rotation or move him to the bullpen.
From a financial perspective, Imai likely wouldn’t command top dollar. When fellow NPB product Munetaka Murakami was first posted, the expectation was for him to receive a contract worth nearly $30 million annually. However, once his market cooled, he signed with the Chicago White Sox for $17 million per year. Likewise, Imai seemed primed to command top dollar at the time of his posting. Now, he wouldn’t command close to that, making this an easy decision for Brian Cashman and the Yankees front office.
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