Injuries to the New York Yankees‘ starting rotation is expected to keep at three major players out for at least the very beginning of the 2026 season. A coveted Japanese starter they have their eye on may be realistic, given a recent statement from his agent.
Tatsuya Imai is represented by agent Scott Boras, who also represents the Yankees’ free agent outfield target, Cody Bellinger. According to Boras, Imai does not have any particular leaning when it comes to the geographic location of his prospective MLB team, meaning the Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t a lock for him.
“Imai is very geographically open,” Boras recently said, per the New York Daily News’ Gary Phillips.
Yankees Have the Opportunity to Finally Land a Star From Japan
At the recent general manager meetings, Yankees GM Brian Cashman spoke on the Yankees’ failure to land any Japanese stars in recent years. The failure hasn’t been for lack of trying, as the team went in on 2025 World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the 2023 offseason, but came up short.