Yankees GM Brian Cashman is not very serious about landing $150 million international superstar

Yankees GM Brian Cashman is not very serious about landing $150 million international superstar originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The New York Yankees are apparently not that serious about landing Saitama Seibu Lions ace right-hander Tatsuya Imai this offseason following his posting on November 18.

The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty reports that if the asking price for Imai gets too out of hand, the Yankees may explore other options in the free agent market who won’t command an upwards of $150 million to $200 million.

Justin Verland, Chris Bassitt, Tyler Mahle, and Lucas Giolito are some of the veteran alternatives to the 28-year-old Imai, who’s expected to be pursued by basically every typical big-spender besides the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“The Yankees are expected to earnestly pursue Imai as they continue to survey the entire pitching market for an arm, according to a league source. The 27-year-old would represent an upgrade to just about any rotation, but particularly to the Yankees’ group, which has so many questions heading into spring training. But don’t be surprised if they end up going cheaper if the price ratchets up for the right-hander,” Kuty wrote.

As Kuty went on to explain, NYY has plenty of arms in their rotation for 2026; it’s just that some of them won’t be healthy at the start of the season.

“The situation the Yankees currently face is unique. They hope to get Rodón (elbow surgery) back by late April or early May, Cole (Tommy John) back by May or June and Schmidt (Tommy John) around August. Provided the returns go as planned, they would be adding them to a group featuring Max Fried, Luis Gil, Will Warren and Cam Schlittler,” Kuty wrote.

Not spending on an arm like Imai would signal that Brian Cashman believes the Yankees have enough pitching already. In truth, they might. They haven’t gotten a chance to figure that out with so many injuries.

It’s a gamble, though. As the team continues to move further and further from their last title, the frustration mounts with every offseason that passes by, and other teams are making the big splashes.