New York Yankees’ Japanese Ace Target Delays Free Agency, Sets Sights on New Year Contract Talks

It looks like the New York Yankees aren’t ready to give up on their dreams of locking down a Japanese ace just yet. The club lost their biggest pitching target, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, to the Dodgers. With only one active pitcher healthy enough to play through the entire season next year, it makes sense that they would look for ways to upgrade their rotation. Cue Shota Imanaga.

Imanaga has been playing in the Japanese League for the past eight years. For a pitcher who has a career strikeout record of 1183 in his bag, he makes an obvious choice for the team. However, the Bronx Bombers will have to wait for a few more days, as the ace has recently revealed his intention of stepping foot on the American baseball scene after the New Year. What might be the reason behind his decision?

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According to The Boston Globe reporter Alex Speier’s Twitter (now X) post, Shota Imanaga’s decision to delay his free agency entry has a certain desirability factor at play. With Yoshinobu Yamamoto just being picked off the table, only a handful of elite pitchers remain.

The Japanese pro-leaguer is now fishing for offers that will make them a catch right around the closing time of the free agency market. So his contract talks have extended beyond the Christmas timeline. If the New York Yankees are mindful enough, they shouldn’t mind the wait.

Contrary to Yamamoto’s past, the 30-year-old Imanaga would bring both experience and skill to the Yankees’ clubhouse. Per Sports Illustrated, he struck out almost 30% of the hitters he pitched against this year. He also walked a mere 3.8% of the opponents. There’s a different catch other than his stats that makes him a prime choice for the New York Yankees team.

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Imanaga is ready to enter MLB with a blockbuster deal

According to SI, Shota Imanaga is expected to fetch a deal of around $100 million for five years. Compared to the Pinstripes’ last Japanese target, that makes him almost $225 million lower in cost, with no long-term dreams in mind.

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The aforementioned “last” target was Yamamoto, who went for a deal worth $325 million for 12 years with the Dodgers—something that the Yankees refused to offer, possibly because of a fear of commitment.

As the free agency market draws deeper into the next year, Shota Imanaga is all set to arrive as a Japanese Christmas gift for the New York Yankees clubhouse. He is worth the wait, after all!