The New York Yankees this off-season look lost!

First, the franchise says they have financial limitations—yes, a team like the Yankees. Then they say they want to push to win. But then they go on to lose Michael King, a player they developed to watch thrive in the Padres. It’s almost a reminder of Harper’s offseason in 2019, when the Yankees didn’t even engage with him.

Now, history may be repeating itself.

The Yankees are once again standing on the sidelines while they need to be doing a lot more when a franchise-altering talent is on the line. This time, Tatsuya Imai, aka the second Yoshinobu Yamamoto, is on the market, and the silence is deafening.

Manager Aaron Boone revealed that the Yankees haven’t met with Imai and isn’t even sure a meeting will happen, which is simply mind-boggling once you hear Imai’s stats.

He is coming off back-to-back dominant seasons in Japan, including a 1.92 ERA, 183 strikeouts, and just seven home runs allowed last year. Plus, he is entering his prime and is durable too. These pitchers come to change the entire franchise. But the New York Yankees seem not ready to blink.

This is where the Cubs come into play. On the Cubs Baseball Channel, the host AveD said, “The Cubs might have gotten a little boost in their search for their next ace pitcher… Tatsuya Imai may be a lot closer to being a Cub than we thought.”

Chicago has been searching for a true rotation anchor, and Imai fits that vision completely. Plus, pair him with Justin Steele and Cade Horton, and the Cubs look like a team ready to make some serious noise.

AveD said, “This would be maybe the ace that changes this entire Cubs rotation.” Well, Imai’s posting window is closing in January, and now being urgent is what matters the most, or Imai will head back to Japan!

Are the Yankees playing with fire this offseason?

So…are the pinstripes cooked? Not really. But they are for sure playing with fire. Boone has tried to downplay the team’s need for another starting pitcher, but that’s another confused area.

The New York Yankees are going to open the season with three starters sidelined, and there is no set timeline for Clarke Schmidt’s return. So on paper, this team definitely needs rotation help, but Boone is ignoring it. And that’s what makes the situation around Imai so strange.

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Among all the free agent starters, it is Imai who is a standout. He is 27 years old, and his dominant arm in Japan is available now. If the Yankees want to stabilize their rotation early on, then he makes sense. Also, this offseason is unusually quiet for the Yankees.

They sure got the familiar names like Tim Hill and Ryan Yarbrough, and added Amed Rosario for versatility. They even have Trent Grisham for outfield depth. One strange move was drafting Cade Winquest in the Rule 5 draft—their first such pick in 14 years. Not headline material for a team that wants to win, is it?

Now, according to insider Jack Curry, the Yankees are more into trading for a starter than spending in free agency. That may help with the budget that Steinbrenner is all about. But it is also risky if the market doesn’t cooperate.

One trade chip can be Jazz Chisholm Jr., who has some serious value with his 31-homer and steal season. They also have doors open to dealing with Spencer Jones or even Jasson Domínguez. As for Imai, the doors might not be all closed, and they might just be playing chicken with the Cubs.

What do you think is happening?