‘Strong indication’ SF is not according to Tatsuya Imai despite the hype
After putting in a huge effort in 2025, he finished the regular season with 81-81 record without a playoff berthSan Francisco fans are eager to see Buster Posey lead the Giants back into contention in 2026.
On paper, the Giants really need help on the mound, with fans eager to see San Francisco land some of the top pitchers on the market this year, but unfortunately, that may not be in the cards for Posey.
Breaking down what he’s heard about San Francisco heading into December, ESPN reporter Buster Olney revealed that despite the rumoursThe Giants did not make a serious push for star Japanese pitcher Tatsui Havewith Posey instead poking around more”weapons at a modest price” around the margins.
“The Giants have been repeatedly linked to Tatsui Imai, the first free agent pitcher from Japan,” Olney wrote on social media. “But a large number of their marketing inquiries were for more modestly priced guns – a strong indication that they’re not chasing the most expensive launchers, like Imai.”
Three-time NPB All-Star, Imai is the best arm to come out of Japan since Yoshinobu Yamamoto, with the potential to secure a long-term, big-money contract before throwing a single pitch in an MLB game. If the Giants were able to land Imai, it would be a huge boon while returning a weapon like Logan Webb, but at least according to Olney, that may not be in the cards as San Francisco goes on the roster after Rafael Devers. With Yamamoto and the Dodgers coming off a World Series-winning season, it will be interesting to see if that strategy brings a winner back to San Francisco, or if they continue to tread water in the top NL West while Imai wants to take down the champions on the other roster.
2025-11-30 02:15:00
