Yankees give up on free agent pitcher

Take one starting pitcher off the list of possible New York Yankees.

According to The Athletic’s Jim Bowden on Friday, Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga, whose posting window expires on Jan. 11, has narrowed his choices to the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, and San Francisco Giants.The Mets have also kept in touch with Imanaga, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Imanaga, a 30-year-old lefty, was mentioned as a possible target for the Yankees throughout the offseason as general manager Brian Cashman looks to boost his rotation. On Thursday, Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media claimed, citing a person familiar with the Yankees’ thinking, that New York had “no interest” in Imanaga because “he’s a flyball pitcher who wouldn’t be a fit for Yankee Stadium.”

Now, if Imanaga ends up in Boston and frequently confronts the Yankees, that notion may be put to the test.

Imanaga has a career 3.18 ERA and 9.2 K/9 in 1,002 2/3 Nippon Professional Baseball innings. He’s had two sub-3 ERA seasons in a row, with a 2.26 ERA in 2022 and a 2.80 ERA last year.

While not in the same league as Japan’s Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Imanaga is well-known for his high floor.