With the Los Angeles Dodgers seemingly entrenched atop the NL West, those jockeying for position behind the Boys in Blue effectively need to try and keep pace.
Otherwise, the risk of falling completely out of playoff contention becomes a strong reality. We’ve seen all four rivals (Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks) spend accordingly with the aim to try and mount some sort of resistance against the Big Blue Machine in LA.
As it pertains to the Giants, the Dodgers chief rival, front office executive Buster Posey hasn’t been bashful in spending money to improve the team’s prospects. Jun Hoo Lee and Willy Adames both recently inked nine-figure deals.
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With an eye to improve the team’s rotation, Japanese import Tatsuya Imai has been considered a possible fit in San Francisco. Widely considered to be the best available Japanese free agent this offseason, San Francisco in theory would appear to be a nice pairing considering that the Giants play in a pitcher’s park, the West Coast proximity/location to Japan, and also the history of the ballclub.
However, in a report from Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic, it doesn’t appear as if the Giants will spend the requisite amount of money to land the talented right-handed pitcher.
As currently constituted, the Giants have a projected starting rotation centered around Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, and Landen Roupp. Charitably speaking, the team needs to go out and get at minimum another two starters to feel semi-good about their group by the start of next season.
Imai, 27, might not be as talented as Yoshinobu Yamamoto. However, he does have some similar characteristics — namely that he’s about 5-foot-11.
The splitter-slider combination is very good, and Imai has a fastball reaching the mid-to-upper 90s. If the Giants won’t spend money to level of an Imai, Framber Valdez, or Ranger Suarez-type, it remains to be seen as to whether the Giants can actually be a credible contender for second place in the NL West in 2026.
If Imai plans on “taking down the Dodgers” as he’s recently said, it may happen with a team outside of the NL West.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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