Yankees Rumors: Tatsuya Imai race might be down to NYY and one other team

Despite Jack Curry's continued pleas that the New York Yankees are more likely to pursue a starting pitcher via trade rather than on the free agent market, they find themselves connected to two primo free agent pitchers one week before Christmas Day.

Former Yankee Michael King is reportedly receiving bids from the Cubs, Mets, Orioles, Red Sox and Yanks, seeking a four-year deal. For a risk-averse team looking for long-term rotation depth, not a short-term fix, that would seem to be tough territory for the Yankees to traverse. Now, if they could find a way to use their money on simultaneously shoring up the rotation past Gerrit Cole's/Carlos Rodón's contracts and getting back into the Japanese market, that would seem to be a better use of funds. At the very least, a rumored splurge on Tatsuya Imai wouldn't ring quite as hollow/feel like agents using the Yankees for leverage. There would be genuine financial benefits to risking $150-200 million.

Somehow, some way, the Yankees might be in the thick of Imai's market after all. After weeks of will they/won't they, Francys Romero pegged the Yankees and Cubs as the likely Imai finalists on Wednesday morning (among the five teams that are reportedly chasing him).

The right-hander's posting window will end on Jan. 2 at 5:00 PM EST.

Yankees, Cubs rumored finalists for Japanese starter Tatsuya Imai

The Phillies and Mets have also been mentioned as Imai suitors in recent days.

Earlier in the winter, Imai made waves when he noted that he didn't want to team up with other Japanese players, and that he'd rather defeat the Dodgers than join them. As the conversation drags on, it doesn't seem as if the Cubs employing Shōta Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki would be a dealbreaker for Imai. His criticism seems fairly specifically aimed at the idea that every Japanese player, if they had their druthers, would join the Dodgers.

"With the number of pitchers they already have, they don’t need me,” Imai recently said, when asked to clarify his Dodgers stance.

The Yankees will have to pay a hefty price to finish this, one that connected insiders have recently believed they'd be unwilling to. Even if the rumors are true, just because two names are listed as likely finalists does not mean the bidding will only come down to that pair.

Still, it's nice to be mentioned. It's nice to be fighting. And it would be really nice to have Imai in the fold long-term, allowing the Yankees to get creative with pitchers like Will Warren and Luis Gil, as well as remain comfortable with their depth throughout the season.