Anytime there is a Japanese player posted, there is a flurry of teams wanting to get them. This time, though, there is not much noise, and this was seen in the Murakami deal, too, where he signed a lesser one with the Cubs. And this radio silence is seen in Tatsuya Imai’s sweepstakes, too.

But recently, he has been connected to the Toronto Blue Jays. The only problem with the “Phillies’ Tailgate” handle listed is the high price, which is stopping them from going for Imai. But do the Jays really need him?

According to Nick Gosse, not really. Instead, it might be Scott Boras doing what he does best—manipulating the market by inflating player value and dangling team names in front of the media and creating hype around deals that may not exist.

“There are people talking about how Scott Boras may have been feeding this information to the reporter in order to drive the price up. There is that side of it as well. You can see the sentiment floating around: Scott Boras stopping including the Blue Jays for someone they’re not interested in—challenge impossible,” said Nick Gosse. 

And honestly, it’s not far from the realm of possibility, right? Scott Boras and his antics in the winter are not a secret to most teams and their owners now. His “Four Borasmen” with players like Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Matt Chapman, and Cody Bellinger, who were unsigned into spring training, are a classic case. They had to settle during that offseason into lower-value deals than expected.

Moreover, the Toronto Blue Jays’ rotation is already packed. Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, Dylan Cease, Shane Bieber, and Trey Yesavage form the core. So where will Imai even fit? Now, the recent acquisition of Cease and bullpen depth make a six-man rotation possible but complicated. Bringing Sinai would require juggling roles, innings, and contracts carefully. So in the end, it really might mean that Boras is playing his hand at something he always does.

But right now, maybe the time for mind games is running out, given Imai is facing a January 2 deadline at 5 pm ET and no firm offer has emerged.

Where are the New York Yankees on Tatsuya Imai?

Imai is 27 years old and pitched 163 innings in 2025 with a 1.92 ERA and struck out 178 batters. Those numbers are head-turning, and there is no doubt any team would amp their roster with him. But here we are in the final hours of the year, and still he remains unsigned. The Yankees are one team who were apparently interested in him, but the silence is loud.

Moreover, any optimism that was there took a hit after Jack Curry poured cold water on the idea of any Yankee movement. It was not shocking, but it was deflating given the fans are waiting for any signal that the team would make any movement of matter this offseason.

Meanwhile, Newsweek reported that Imai is apparently in LA meeting with the interested teams, and this has narrowed the interest pool. Now, apparently, the Cubs are front-runners. And the Cubs may have an edge with them floating a deal in the $150 million range. Maybe that’s true, and the Cubs honestly need pitching. But then even the New York Yankees need an arsenal, and here is the fun wrinkle—Imai wants to face the Dodgers and beat them.

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If that’s true, then the Yankees should be right in the picture after all; compared to all the money they were ready to throw at Juan Soto, this is manageable. But yes, it’s tough to believe the Yankees when Brian Cashman has been quiet, and Hal Steinbrenner seems more into the budget than winning. 

This winter has been strange. It’s hard to know what to believe. It’s even harder to believe the Yankees are fully committed to doing what’s necessary. Brian Cashman has been quiet, and Hal Steinbrenner seems more focused on limits and margins than urgency.