While Shohei Ohtani and the LA Dodgers have enjoyed tremendous success, recent seasons have not gone to plan for the New York Yankees. Having won 27 championships in their illustrious history, the Bronx Bombers have failed to win the World Series since 2009.
As they look to break out of their rut in 2026, the Yankees are expected to be quite active in the market this offseason, and the starting rotation is one of the areas that has reportedly been targeted for improvement.
With highly-regarded starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai actively negotiating with big league franchises at the moment, insider Derek Levandowski feels the Yankees would do well to acquire the three-time NPB All-Star, especially after he recently took shots at Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers.
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“There’s a couple of things I really like about (Tatsuya) Imai,” Levandowski said (Timestamp: 13:01). The first one is big, he wants to beat the Dodgers, not join them. That’s the mentality that I want. He wants to take down the Shohei Ohtani Goliath, not join his fan-club. I cannot tell you how refreshing that is, as a fan. I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to having another psychopath in the rotation. I think you can never have enough pitching. Depth is how you turn one signing into two or three roster improvement, so I’m all in on Imai.
“There is no downside to adding a legit arm, unless he gets hurt. But if you’re serious about maximizing the (Aaron) Judge years, the Gerrit Cole years, stabilizing the rotation, (Yankees general manager) Brian Cashman should lean into something that he actually does pretty often without hesitation, and that is pony up for some good pitching. I don’t think he (Imai) is much of a gamble, I think he’s an upgrade. I think he fits the blueprint, stack pitching, stack depth and let the rest of the roster catch up over the season.”
“I will continue to compete with a strong desire to win” – Yankees-linked Tatsuya Imai makes his ambitions clear ahead of MLB move
Soon after being posted by his NPB team, the Saitama Seibu Lions in November, Tatsuya Imai made his ambitions clear.
“Every season, I have played with the goal of winning the league championship and the Japan Series, and that ambition will not change with a new team,” Imai said. “I will continue to compete with a strong desire to win and do my best to contribute to my team’s success.”
Imai is projected to secure a contract in the range of $150 million this winter.
Edited by Raghav Mehta
