The New York Yankees need to make some major improvements to their roster in the coming months, or they’re going to stay a few steps behind the Toronto Blue Jays. This offseason, the Yankees could dive into free agency to bolster the roster.
The Yankees need to re-sign or replace Cody Bellinger in the outfield, but they also could afford to add some pitching to their roster.
Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball recently projected that the Yankees would sign international free-agent pitcher Tatsuya Imai to a huge six-year, $114 million contract.
“Imai is the only potential frontline arm on the market that you don’t have to forfeit draft capital to sign,” Finkelstein wrote. “This should allow him to get one of the longest commitments of this class, and with Scott Boras representing him, there is every chance an opt-out is baked into the contract.
“We landed on a six-year commitment with an opt-out halfway through the deal, giving Imai the chance to be a free agent after his age-30 season. A six-year, $114 million deal would come with a posting fee of $18.975 million. Taking the total commitment for Imai up over $130 million.”
Imai might not fill the biggest hole on the Yankees’ roster, but he would make the team much better. The biggest bonus to this potential deal is the price. If the Yankees can add an ace on a deal for less than $20 million per season, it would be a no-brainer. The posting fee would take the overall price up, but the average annual value would fit the payroll well.
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