South Korea v Japan – Asia Professional Baseball Championship Final | Gene Wang – Capture At Media/GettyImages

One of the most intriguing names on the starting pitching market is that of Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai. Imai has been linked to the New York Yankees, though there have been questions as to whether the interest in “the next big thing” would price him out of their budget.

Imai isn’t Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He’s not even Roki Sasaki. That said, his heater (which he can dial up to 99), wipeout slider, and the rest of the kitchen sink that many Japanese hurlers employ make him an intriguing, if not dangerous, proposition.

For all the positives the 27-year-old brings, he’s regarded by many as having mid-rotation upside. With contract projections topping $150 million, that seems like an overpay waiting to happen. But maybe not. Imai’s recent comments may have cut his market down drastically, and should have the Yankees ready and waiting to pounce.

Tatsuya Imai’s comments on the Dodgers break the mold and should have the Yankees jumping to the front of the line

It seems as if every year, it’s a foregone conclusion that every big-name import from Asia is the Dodgers for the taking. Yamamoto and Sasaki are just the most recent examples. Over the years, they’ve gotten contributions from the likes of Kenta Maeda (before he faltered), Hiroki Kuroda (before he defected to the Bronx), and many others.

Los Angeles has the geographic benefit of being “close to home” while also becoming the most iconic franchise in that part of the world. It’s a foregone conclusion that if they want a Japanese star, they’re going to get him, right?

Not in Imai’s case. It looks like Imai’s got a contrarian streak to him, as he was quoted recently as saying, “I want to take them down…I think beating a team like that and becoming World Champions would be the most valuable thing in my life,” in response to the prospect of playing with the Dodgers.

Didn’t have that on your bingo card? No one would blame you. Another common trope with Japanese stars is that they like to land on a team that employs one of their countrymen. It makes sense. While players from Latin America are prevalent on every roster in the league, those from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and elsewhere in Latin America don’t have as big a curve when it comes to cultural adaptation as Japanese players do.

Imai’s not interested in that either. Based on his comments, it seems that he likes a challenge and wants to sink or swim on his own. Well, sir, welcome to New York! If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere, as they say.

Not only is the attitude and the desire to make it on his own appealing specifically to a club like the Yankees, but it should also help keep his market affordable.

The traditional landing spots are out. In addition to the Dodgers, you can cross the San Diego Padres (Yu Darvish), Los Angeles Angels (Yusei Kikuchi), Boston Red Sox (Masataka Yoshida), and New York Mets (Kodai Senga) off the list. That’s pretty much it for the big market teams. Who knew the Yankees’ failures to make a splash in Japan since Masahiro Tanaka would be so fruitful?