Yankees’ Offseason Outlook: Why Tatsuya Imai and Cody Bellinger Could Be Bronx-Bound
The Yankees’ offseason plans are starting to take shape, and while the front office hasn’t tipped its hand entirely, there are signs that a spending spree could be in the works. With Trent Grisham already re-signed on a one-year, $22.025 million deal, the next moves could be much bigger-and potentially transformative.
Two names continue to surface as potential targets: Tatsuya Imai and Cody Bellinger. And if the Yankees are serious about landing both, they’d be looking at pushing their 2026 payroll north of $330 million-well into luxury tax territory. But here’s the thing: that number isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker.
Let’s break down why the Yankees might be ready to go big this winter-and why it could make both baseball and business sense.
Tatsuya Imai: More Than Just a Marketing Win
The Yankees don’t always lead the league in spending, but they’re far from frugal. Since 2021, their luxury tax payroll has climbed steadily, and Hal Steinbrenner has shown he’s willing to open the checkbook when the right opportunity comes along-especially if it brings added value on and off the field.
Enter Tatsuya Imai.
The 28-year-old right-hander isn’t a household name like Shohei Ohtani or Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but he’s got the stuff to be a difference-maker in the Bronx. And while his arrival would certainly boost international interest-particularly from Japan-it’s his on-field talent that makes him such a compelling fit.
Imai’s fastball comes from a lower arm slot, estimated between 20-25 degrees, which gives hitters a different look. That arm angle helped generate a +0.4 Run Value per 100 pitches and a 24.5% whiff rate in 2025-both well above league averages for four-seamers.
For context, the average four-seam fastball last season had a -0.02 Run Value and a 21.7% whiff rate. That’s a meaningful edge.
But it’s not just the fastball. Imai’s slider is what’s known as a “wrong-way” slider, meaning it breaks in the opposite direction of a traditional one.
It tunnels well off his heater and generated a whiff rate close to 50% last year. Add in a quality splitter and a vulcan changeup, and you’ve got a full arsenal of swing-and-miss pitches.
That’s the kind of profile that plays in any rotation-and it’s exactly what the Yankees need.
Why the Rotation Needs Reinforcements
Despite the star power, the Yankees’ rotation doesn’t project as a top-tier unit heading into 2026. According to FanGraphs, they’re middle-of-the-pack in both WAR and FIP. They ranked 16th in K-BB% and 12th in xFIP last season-metrics that tend to be more predictive than ERA because they strip out variables like defense and home run luck.
That’s not the kind of profile you want if you're aiming for a deep postseason run.
There are also serious durability concerns. Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón are coming off major surgeries, and both have seen dips in velocity and strikeout stuff. Luis Gil and Max Fried bring upside, but counting on all four to stay healthy for a full season is a gamble.
That’s where Imai comes in. He’s entering his prime, has a proven ability to miss bats, and could develop into a front-line starter with the right adjustments. His 32% whiff rate in NPB last season led the league, and that kind of swing-and-miss ability tends to translate well to MLB.
Add in the potential boost in international viewership-YES Network saw a 5% increase in game-to-game viewership in 2025 despite missing Cole and losing Juan Soto-and it’s easy to see why the Yankees are intrigued. The team owns a majority share in YES, and increased streaming from Japan could open the door to more advertising revenue from Japanese brands.
No, he’s not going to bring in Ohtani-level dollars, but Imai represents a smart investment on multiple fronts.
Cody Bellinger: A Fit That Still Makes Sense
If the Yankees do land Imai, does that take Cody Bellinger off the table? Not necessarily.
While it would require a significant financial commitment-likely pushing the payroll well over $330 million-the Yankees could justify it based on roster construction and performance projections.
Right now, both Depth Charts and Steamer project the Yankees to have the best position player group in baseball. Bringing Bellinger back would only solidify that status.
Defensively, the Yankees underperformed in 2025. Anthony Volpe and Trent Grisham both took steps back, due in part to injuries.
Adding a healthy Bellinger-who can play a strong center field and first base-would help stabilize the defense. Outside of Ben Rice at first, the rest of the projected lineup would grade out as at least average defensively, with the potential to be well above that if everyone stays healthy.
Offensively, the numbers suggest Bellinger would help maintain elite production. The Yankees would project for a 110.5 wRC+ with him in the fold, trailing only the Dodgers (112) among all teams in 2025 projections. That’s down from their league-leading 119 wRC+ last season, but still elite territory.
And those projections aren’t just for the usual suspects-they include everyone with a listed projection, even prospects who haven’t played above rookie ball. So the margin is real.
The Bigger Picture
Signing both Imai and Bellinger would be a bold move, no doubt. But it’s not out of character for a franchise that’s built on star power and October aspirations.
Imai brings a unique mix of on-field upside and off-field value. Bellinger offers positional flexibility, left-handed pop, and a strong glove. Together, they’d give the Yankees a more complete roster-one that can pitch, defend, and hit with anyone in the American League.
Tack on a bullpen arm and maybe a fourth outfielder, and you’ve got a team that’s not just built to contend-but built to win.
And from what’s being heard around league circles, Hal Steinbrenner might just be ready to make that happen.