Will Giants Spend to Land Tatsuya Imai Contract? MLB Insider Updates Latest Rumors

It will take a sizable figure for an MLB team to land Japanese star pitcher Tatsuya Imai, and the San Francisco Giants reportedly aren't willing to spend in a potential bidding war.

Per The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly, the team does "not anticipate making the nine-figure investment" to sign Imai and also isn't interested in spending big on other free-agent pitchers. The Giants are instead expected to focus on "more modestly priced alternatives."

Per Baggarly, Giants president Buster Posey, GM Zack Minasian and new manager Tony Vitello met with Scott Boras, Imai's agent, at GM meetings in Las Vegas. They also asked for medical reports on a handful of pitchers, including Imai and Dylan Cease.

According to Baggarly, "the Giants were never prepared to enter the bidding" for Cease, who ultimately signed a seven-year, $210 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Giants have been willing to spend in recent years, giving Willy Adames $182 million last offseason and adding Rafael Devers' $250 million contract in June via a trade with the Boston Red Sox. As a result, the team's "current preference is to limit their spending to short-term deals," according to Baggarly.

Last week, San Francisco added free-agent reliever Sam Hentges on a one-year, $1.4 million deal. Baggarly noted that the Giants expect to continue adding to their bullpen and plan to add at least one starting pitcher.

San Francisco finished 81-81 in 2025, missing the postseason for a fourth consecutive season. While the Giants struggled overall, pitching was one of their strong points as they finished 10th in the majors with a 3.82 team ERA.

While making a splashy signing like Imai would bolster their pitching even further, it could be worthwhile to seek multiple additions for the price that Imai alone would warrant.