Yankees Linked to Japanese Star Set to Be Posted Monday

The New York Yankees are looking for free-agent pitching and left-hander Shota Imanaga could be on their radar.

A Japanese pitcher that the New York Yankees might have their eyes on in free agency is close to being posted for MLB teams to pursue.

No, it’s not Yoshinobu Yamamoto, though the Yankees are certainly believed to be interested in him.

No, it’s Shota Imanaga. The New York Post reported on Saturday that the 30-year-old left-hander is expected to be posted on Monday.

Once Imanaga’s Japanese team, the Yokohama DeNA Baystars, posts him MLB teams have 45 days to negotiate with him. If he doesn’t get a deal, he will play for the Baystars in 2024.

While Imanaga doesn’t have Yamamoto’s name recognition, he’s a player with a Major League makeup. He started and earned the win for Japan in the World Baseball Classic championship against the U.S.

He is also two-time Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star with a career 3.18 ERA and has struck out one-quarter of hitters faced in 1,002 career innings.

Recently, Sports Illustrated ranked the Top 50 free agents in baseball and Imanaga made the list. With those rankings the site also provided a projected landing spot for each free agent.

The site selected the Yankees, and here was its logic:

Imanaga relies on command and strong secondary offerings in his four-pitch mix rather than an overpowering fastball. He’s projected to be a mid-rotation starter after striking out nearly 11 batters per nine innings and logging an excellent 7.83 K/BB ratio in his home country last season.

MLB Trade Rumors projected that he’ll get a contract close to what Mets starter Kodai Senga got last offseason — five years, $85 million.

His makeup and track record is sure to interest many MLB teams, including the Yankees, once he’s officially posted.