The market around Tatsuya Imai is becoming clearer, with both the Chicago Cubs and the New York Yankees among the finalists for the Japanese pitcher.
On December 17, MLB insider Francys Romero reported, citing industry sources, that roughly five teams across MLB are actively in the mix for Imai. Romero added that the Yankees and Cubs are emerging as the leading contenders to land him.
With the Cubs battling the Yankees to land Imai, Marquee Sports Network’s Lance Brozdowski believes that Chicago might have to push past its comfort zone in terms of what it is willing to go on term and money to land the Japanese standout.
“This is getting to the point that if you want any of these guys, you’re going to have to go into the land of a little bit uncomfortable,” Brozdowski said on the December 19 edition of “Cubs 360.” “You’re going to have to be a little uncomfortable around the amount of years or the amount of dollars, or the combination of the two, that you’re giving a player like this. He has a posting fee attached to him.
“If the Cubs internal model says he’s worth five for $100 million plus the posting fee, let’s say, 20 a year, I have to imagine the Yankees can just swing in there and go, ‘Cool, we’ll give you six [years] for [$120 million].‘ That’s the uncomfortable that I’m talking about. Are the Cubs willing to push a little bit above what their internal say on a guy like Imai?”
Cubs’ Probably Concerns Over Tatsuya Imai Explained
The reason the Cubs might be second-guessing themselves about how far they want to go for Imai is the question marks Brozdowski laid out.
“[Imai is] a guy that can impact this rotation and not necessarily a [No. 1 pitcher], but he’s got a low release,“ Brozdowski added. “He throws 95. A couple of variations of off-speed. His slider is really interesting. He’s a tough guy to project. There’s a lot of variants, but whoever signs him is going to have to get a bit uncomfortable on what they’re giving him from a monetary perspective and accepting some of the risk coming over from overseas.”
Yankees Make Most Sense for Tatsuya Imai
As Imai is in the middle of making his decision, former MLB player Todd Frazier stated that the Yankees make the most sense for the 27-year-old rather than linking up with two Japanese players on the Cubs: Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki.
“I think [the Yankees] would be the best choice for him,“ Frazier said on the December 17 edition of “Foul Territory.“ “For the Yankees to have this guy here [is ideal]. [Imai’s] a really good pitcher [and] has understandably been in the spotlight for a long time. [He] knows what it’s all about…
“These two teams are a perfect match for him. He would suit well with both of them, but the Yankees are in much need of a starting pitcher right now, and this can only help them out, too. So, we’ll see pretty soon.”
It will be worth watching whether Imanaga and Suzuki try to sway Imai toward Chicago. The Cubs have become an ideal destination for Japanese players, which could factor into the decision. Even so, the pull of the Yankees is always strong and may prove difficult for Imai to pass up.
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