NY Yankees Starting Pitchers Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, and Carlos Rodon- sportingnews.com
Multiple Japanese ace pitchers have been making their mark in the MLB for the last few years. So far, the Los Angeles Dodgers have made big hits on a few stars, such as Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, while the New York Yankees are still waiting to land their first of the many ace pitchers coming up to the big leagues.
While last year the Yankees had to release outfielder Juan Soto for wanting to be grossly overpaid, this year will hopefully be the year the Yanks are more aggressive, going after these two available star pitchers. The Yankees can pursue either one this year or wait for the other coveted one next year.
Whatever they decide, the team should not wait too long if they want to poach one of these aces from going to the Dodgers. Therefore, the bidding war starts now.
Japanese Ace Pitchers the Yankees should pursue ASAP
Tatsuya Imai currently plays for the Seibu Lions of the NPB. The 28-year-old currently boasts a record of (10-5) with a 1.92 ERA in 163.2 innings. Additionally, he has 178 strikeouts in a hitters league.
He highlights six different pitches to include: a splitter, change-up, 4-seam fastball, sinker, curveball, and slider.
The skilled pitcher has a fastball that clocks in at 95-96 mph and tops out at 98-99. The Yankees should really look to grab him this year, so they don’t have to wait for next year.
Hiroto Saiki
Hiroto Saiki from the Hanshin Tigers headlines next year’s MLB free agent class and could be better than Imai. The 27-year-old has recorded three straight seasons of ERAs under 2.00.
His stats draw a similar comparison to those when Yamamoto played before joining the Dodgers in 2023.
Strikeouts vs. Walks Comparison
Both Imai and Saiki are flamethrowing relievers with wicked fastballs and many strikeout pitches. Nevertheless, one pitcher has fewer walks than the other.
Imai managed to reduce his walk rate last year, even tying Saiki’s rate. Nonetheless, he remains the leader in strikeouts, and Imai is better at giving up fewer walks.
Why Yankees should not wait for Saiki next year and sign Imai now
If GM Brian Cashman really wants to end the Yankees’ World Series title drought, then he should try to start beating the Dodgers at their own game by acquiring up-and-coming Japanese ace starting pitchers. That means he needs to sign Iami this year, and Saiki next year if he is available.
It’s been quite a while since the Yankees have had an ace Japanese pitcher on their roster. With Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole scheduled to be absent from the start of the 2026 season, these two talented starters would give the Bombers the essential performance their starting rotation needs.
