The Yankees are reportedly interested in Tatsuya Imai, a right-handed pitcher from Japan who has quietly developed into one of the most reliable arms in NPB. With the rotation looking for depth and upside, could Imai be the next under-the-radar pickup that surprises everyone?
In this clip, we break down:
• What makes Imai’s arsenal interesting
• How his numbers translate to MLB
• Where he fits in the Yankees rotation
• Why this move might signal a shift in the team’s approach to pitching
If the Yankees want to compete with the best rotations in baseball, moves like this could matter a lot more than fans think.
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I mean we’re due to get a Japanese player again sooner or later. Hopefully he’s just not playing us to join the dodgers
5-11" 154 pounds? I don't know how that plays long term.
Hope your right , believe it when i see it . This could be something though with our rotation
Yamamoto is 5’10 180 and seems to be just fine why are worried about his size guy is 27 and been nasty in Japan
Im in on it. Tanaka was a horse for the Yankees
I like Imai, but does the Yankees’ hair rule still apply? Would be hilarious if Cashman went, “we skipped him ‘cause he didn’t wanna cut his hair.”
In the last 5 years the yankees were linked to everybody but didn’t get nobody
Ron Guidry and Pedro Martinez, both exceptional pitchers, stood at 5'10" and 5'9" respectively.
I wouldn't trust Cashman or Yankee scouts to pick their seat at a movie let alone an Asian player. Matsui had to be an accident and Ichiro was already the best player in Baseball when he came over. Dump Cashman before last place becomes his legacy or it already may be..
We all know that he's going to join the Tokyo Dodgers cause that's what MLB is aiming for
The Yankees can't get any Japanese born players anymore, they're all in a cult in LA
Hey Derek. On returning pitchers, you left out Cam Schlitter.
Get him and trade warren, Gil for other players and sign him and get michael king back!!!
If 5’11” is small then I’m a midget 😂
The 4.4 walks per 9 is what concerns me.
NPB teams draft tall pitchers too, yet 2025 Sawamura Award went to Hiromi ITOH who is a few centimeters shorter than both Tatsuya IMAI and Yoshinobu YAMAMOTO.
Can he hit to JK 😊I wish he could.
We need an East Asian born pitcher stat and I like Imai. It’ll mean more East Asian talent and East Asian money coming in for sponsorship deals.
The Mets, Orioles, and are Red Sox all have one Japanese player.
He’s going to the dodgers
Good luck Yanks seem to not be making good enough moves. I bet the Yankees wish they could land players like the Dodgers do.
5'11" is an inch higher than Yoshinobu Yamamoto… Just sayin'
They're being used to drive up the price and nothing more.
Ace? C’mon man, he’s a very good pitcher, but certainly not an ace…he’ s pretty much a two pitch pitcher when pitching to righties….
Philadelphia Phillies bro
It is best scouting Imai for Yankees with Murakami, because team image change to bright and get many Japanese baseball funs.