Latest News on Yankees' Possible Pursuit of Tatsuya Imai Amid MLB Rumors in FA

New York Yankees fans hoping their team will sign Japanese pitcher Tatsuya Imai this offseason might not like the latest update.

Manager Aaron Boone told reporters Friday the Yankees have yet to meet with Imai. What's more, he said he wasn't sure if they were going to meet with him at all this offseason.

Boone's update comes after insider Francys Romero reported Wednesday that approximately five teams demonstrated "real interest" in the pitcher with the Yankees and Chicago Cubs seen as the "expected" finalists.

If New York is now more tepid on the right-hander, that could be good news for a Cubs team that could use another starter in a rotation that has some question marks with Justin Steele coming back from injury and Shota Imanaga looking to bounce back from a disappointing finish to the 2025 season.

But New York could also use another starting pitcher considering there are injury concerns around Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt.

The Yankees are rarely hesitant to spend the necessary money to address areas of need on their roster, and they are seemingly in the middle of a win-now window after the World Series in 2024 and the playoffs last season.

Imai is someone who could elevate their ceiling, but Boone's comments don't give much reason for optimism at this point of the offseason.

Time is of the essence as well considering Imai has until Jan. 2 to sign with a major league team with his posting window set to expire.

Whichever team signs the pitcher will add someone who is theoretically in the middle of his peak at 27 years old. He is also coming off a dominant season with the Saitama Seibu Lions in Japan in which he demonstrated a strikeout arsenal and the ability to eat up innings.

He finished the season with a 1.92 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 178 strikeouts in 163.2 innings. He notched five complete games in his 24 appearances and is someone who could slide right into the middle of a number of starting rotations.

It just might not be with the Yankees.