Yankees' next Japanese target just became crystal clear thanks to latest hire

The New York Yankees international scouting turmoil was a mystery. First, Danny Rowland was "allowed to leave," following a string of high-profile defections in his wake. Next, we learned that Mario Garza, a 16-year veteran of the Yankees' organization, would be taking his place.

Rowland's tenure was full of big-money signings who turned into big-time busts. As Garza settled in, we learned that there were likely some unseemly things going on under Rowland's watch. We like to pretend that the international signing process in Latin America is squeaky clean, but skimming money by club officials is more common than you'd like to believe, and that's to say nothing of the shady buscones who "manage" (read: take advantage of) these kids.

Garza coming in isn't just turning the page. It's reimagining New York's entire international philosophy. He has experience working throughout all aspects of the organization's player development apparatus and has deep ties to the Latin American market. But as one of his first big moves shows, he wants to scour the globe, not just the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, looking for top talent.

One of the people who will be integral in helping Garza achieve that goal is Matt Slater, the club's new global player acquisitions supervisor, which is a newly created position under this incoming regime. Slater held a similar role with the St. Louis Cardinals, but is also extremely well-connected in Asia, having worked for Nippon Professional Baseball's Orix Buffaloes in Japan.

It's been more than a decade since the Yankees landed Masahiro Tanaka back in 2014. Earlier this offseason, Brian Cashman said it had been "too many years" since the club had been a player in Japan as rumors swirled around NPB stars Tatsuya Imai, Munetaka Murakami, and Kazuma Okamoto. New York came up empty again, and now Garza, with a lot of help from Slater, will be looking to change that. They might already have their prime target.

The Yankees will lean on new-hire Matt Slater to bring them back to relevance in Japan as new target Shunpeita Yamashita looms

The name Shunpeita Yamashita might not be on your radar right now, but to those in the know, he's been a Japanese hurler to watch as one of the next big things since Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

At just 23 years old, he won't be eligible to be posted and sign as a regular free agent until after the 2027 season. If he were to try to come over before, he'd be going the Roki Sasaki route and would only be eligible to receive money from a team's international bonus pool.

It would behoove Yamashita to stay in Japan until then, not just for financial reasons, but for health ones. Recurring back issues have limited his availability in his young career. He debuted in 2023 and threw 95 innings, posting a seriously impressive 1.61 ERA as a 20-year-old. Those 95 innings represent his career high, and this past season, he managed just 21 2/3 frames as he dealt with various injuries.

The health is a question mark, but the arm talent is not. According to FanGraphs' scouting report, Shunpeita features a blazing fastball that sits at 95-97 miles per hour and that he can run up to 100 when needed. That is supported by a 70-grade splitter that is absolutely devastating. A high-spin, beautiful overhand curveball and a harder slider-cutter hybrid round out the arsenal, with the latter being the worst of his offerings.

He'd be a top prospect if he came over now, and has top-of-the-rotation starter potential. And the Yankees might just have an inside track thanks to Slater.

Yamashita's employer, the Orix Buffaloes, also employed Slater, which should help New York gain some valuable insight on the talented pitcher, as well as help build confidence on Yamashita's end.

The relationship-building aspect of dealing in these overseas markets is important, and from the outside looking in, it seemed that Rowland and his team had eroded that in far too many places over time. Now, Garza is looking to rebuild it, and with Slater's ties to Japan, a whole new world could be on the horizon for the Yankees.