Yankees want to land a Japanese star free agent this winter

The Yankees are expected to be one of the favorites to land RHP Tatsuya Imai, and while MLB fans have become accoustomed to seeing star Japanese players head to the Dodgers, that hurdle may not exist this time around.

Originally reported by Yankee Source, who described the team’s interest in Imai as ‘strong’, Francys Romero corroborated said report by referring to New York as one of the favorites for his services.

In speaking to people familiar with the organization’s thinking, a message of getting back into the Japanese market is one that has been important to higher ups this winter.

For over a decade, the Yankees have become the bridesmaid in Japanese sweepstakes; Shohei Ohtani rejected them twice, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki went to Los Angeles, but now they’ll have a chance t