The West Coast has the East Coast beat this season. The New York Yankees got their hands on Juan Soto but had to give up too much pitching depth for him. What they did have going for them though was Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but even that has resulted in a failed pursuit. What now?

A team that has traded away too many pitching options these last two years has to be desperate by now. While 2023 relied on Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt, and 2024 will see a return of Nestor Cortes Jr. and Carlos Rodon, the starting rotation is still starkly empty. There’s no more Domingo German or Michael King to rely on. But maybe there’s still Monty? Or another Japanese option in Shota Imanaga?

New York Yankees Sheepishly Approaching Monty? Or Will They Go After Another Japanese Ace?

The Yankees didn’t believe in Jordan Montgomery at first, trading him away to St. Louis for Harrison Bader in 2022. Today, Harrison Bader is in Cincinnati and Montgomery is the winner of a World Series with the Texas Rangers. And not just a freeloader, the 30-year-old was instrumental in the win. Will the Bronx Bombers now bring back the lefty or go for Shota Imanaga?

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Considered a good backup for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Yankees will have to put Plan B into action after Plan A went bust. Almost five years older than the 3x PL MVP winner, Imanaga isn’t considered to be in the same league as Yamamoto of course, because no one is.

And yet, the Yokohama BayStars player has an impressive 3.18 ERA over 1002 2/3 career innings. Not to mention, “excellent control, very good strikeout numbers, and quite a bit of durability (with the exception of a shoulder surgery in 2020),” as MLB Trade Rumors put it.

WATCH THIS STORY – Mets Gear Up For Yamamoto Showdown: Going All In Amidst Intense Yankees Pursuit

After his countrymen’s domination of the market, Imanaga is not a bad next choice. Neither is Montgomery, whom the Yankees will now likely have to overpay to acquire. If these options fail, there is also free agent Blake Snell, the 2023 NL Cy Young winner. Or perhaps Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes, who isn’t a free agent until 2024.

Will Brewers Trade Away Corbin Burnes?

The Brewers possess Burnes in a division that is winnable, or so says Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Aware of not making trading mistakes like the Josh Hader-Mets fiasco, Brewers owner Mark Attanasio could make things difficult for the Yankees.

There is also the option of Blake Snell, who is a famous friend of Bronx captain Aaron Judge. Could the star slugger sway the pitcher to wear Pinstripes? No serious connections have emerged between Snell and the Yankees as of now, but they certainly have options after Yamamoto’s snub. It all depends on the front office’s strategies now. Is a surprise trade on the horizon, or will the Yankees follow up Montgomery and Imanaga links with a massive deal?

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