The New York Yankees broke the hearts of the fans when they failed to land Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Why it was so heartbreaking is because the Bronx Bombers were the front runners to sign the superstar pitcher. Clearly, the Pinstripes were not ready to sign the two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. When the NY side hesitates to pay over $300 million, it is certainly impossible to offer a deal close to $700 million. But the franchise that was ready to go over a billion dollars to land the two superstar Japanese World Champions was the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Anyway, to sign Juan Soto, the Yankees had to sacrifice a lot of pitchers and catchers. Previously, they had a pretty good depth in their bullpen. But to make their outfield better, the front office gave away a lot of pitchers this offseason. Hence, to solve the problem of the worsening pitching situation, the Yankees are looking to sign Shota Imanaga. Now, the question is whether they actually get him or should expect further disappointment.
Is Shota Imanaga A Viable Option For Yankees?
Imanaga has been a backup option for the NY side. Albeit they were the frontrunners to land Yamamoto, they feared they might miss the opportunity. And since they have actually missed it, Imanaga becomes a prime trade target. However, to land Shota Imanaga, Brian Cashman will have to bid right and seal the deal anyway. They missed Yamamoto because of cash and years. Why could they not offer $25 million more and an extra couple of years? Now, there are a lot more options for pitchers available. But the Yankees should not be cheap about offering Imanaga a good deal. The longer they wait, the higher the prices will grow.
But it won’t be easy again, as the NY Mets have also shown interest in the Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga. This Japanese ace has also shown his skills pretty well in the Nippon Professional Baseball as well as in the World Baseball Classic. But the Yankees have to fight through the staunch competition as expected. Moreover, it would be a great loss if the Yankees got it wrong again with another Japanese ace. But the backup plans for Shota Imanaga would be Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell. However, the NY side should keep in mind that with time, the bidding war will only get more intense.
Pinstripes Will Find It Really Hard To Extend Soto’s Contract Next Free Agency
Despite the Yankees being the front runner to land Yamamoto, the Dodgers came from nowhere to steal the righty pitcher away from the NY side. Gradually, the fans are starting to believe that the LA Dodgers are the new Evil Empire in MLB. But the original title holders are in no way near that picture anymore. They are struggling a lot since they failed to make the postseason this year.
The Yankees had a lot to prove and redeem themselves this offseason. Moreover, the NY side did raise a lot of hopes after landing the superstar outfielder Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres. But he was no free agent. The Dominican slugger will be a free agent next year. It will be even tougher for the Bronx Bombers to extend his contract to a long-term deal.
