Giants reportedly don’t anticipate meeting Tatsuya Imai’s hefty price tag originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Take a deep breath, Giants fans.
Despite the links to San Francisco numerous times this offseason, the Giants will not meet the hefty price tag needed to sign Japanese star right-hander Tatsuya Imai, The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly reported in a piece published Monday, citing a league source familiar with the team’s plans.
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“According to club sources, because of a number of financial considerations, the Giants do not anticipate making the nine-figure investment required to sign Imai — or any of the other top pitchers on the free-agent market. Instead, the club is focusing on more modestly priced alternatives,” Baggarly wrote.
Per Baggarly, the Giants, having committed significant cash on shortstop Willy Adames and Rafael Devers last season, instead, intend to sign “at least one starting pitcher” and will add to their bullpen in addition to the agreement in place with left-handed reliever Sam Hentges, while trying “to limit their spending to short-term deals.”
The development comes after San Francisco Giants executives Buster Posey and Zack Minasian and new manager Tony Vitello met with Imai’s agent, Scott Boras, at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas to request medical reports on the Japanese pitcher as well as fellow Boras Corp. clients Ranger Suárez, Max Scherzer and Dylan Cease, who ended up signing a seven-year, $210 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, per Baggarly.
Years prior, the Giants, looking to become a desired destination for international athletes, had missed out on Japanese stars like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.
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Understandably, with the 27-year-old ace, arguably the best international MLB free agent this winter, available, the feeling around the league was that the Giants brass was going to make a move for the right-hander.
Now, with the Giants reportedly out of the running for Imai’s services or any other top pitcher on the free-agent market, the question becomes: what pitcher will call Oracle Park their new home in 2026?
Only time will tell.
