“RIP Giants”; “Literally falling into Yankees lap” - Fans react as SF allegedly bows out of Tatsuya Imai high-end sweepstakes

Almost every big market club seemed interested in the Scott Boras client. All except the Los Angeles Dodgers, who were being noted as a challenge rather than a destination, according to Imai, in a Japanese podcast on November 24.

That made a team like the San Francisco Giants the primary contenders to sign Imai. As a west coast club, preferred by Japanese superstars in the past, a ballpark like Oracle Park, which is pitcher-friendly and Dodgers' divisional rivals, the Giants looked like a perfect fit.

According to The Athletic writer Andrew Baggarly, the Giants held discussions with Boras during the Winter Meetings last month. But as per the latest update from the club, the team is unwilling to offer Imai a nine-figure contract.

Fans on social media were quite perplexed with the Giants' approach after hopes of the team looking to improve after four consecutive non-winning seasons.

Here are a few reactions:

"RIP Giants. They were at the top of his list but won’t pay up," a fan wrote.

"Literally falling into the Yankees laps if they don’t get him," another fan said.

"SF Giants, we want to compete with the Dodgers in this lifetime or what?" a fan questioned.

"Being a Giants fan isn’t for the weak," a fan opined.

"That’s why they will never be better than a .500 team with this ownership," a fan stated.

"And they blame the Dodgers for wanting to do so," a fan added.

When Tatsuya Imai was posted to the MLB by the Nippon Professional Baseball's Saitama Seibu Lions last month, after pitching 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA in the past season. He was being billed as a high-leverage arm in the same bracket as starters Framber Valdez and Dylan Cease.

But the Giants are looking to manage payroll after signing Willy Adames to a $182 million deal last offseason, extending Matt Chapman to a $151 million contract, and then trading for Rafael Devers, who still had $250 million left on his Boston Red Sox contract.

Tatsuya Imai likely to sign during Winter Meetings as per Jeff Passan

Teams have till January 2 to sign Tatsuya Imai. However, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan on his Threads account on Sunday, Imai is likely to sign by December 10 during the MLB Winter Meetings that start next week in Orlando.

"The market for right-hander Tatsuya Imai is moving, and some executives expect him to come off the board in Orlando," Passan wrote.

After Cease got a massive seven-year $210 million deal from the Toronto Blue Jays, it only made Imai's market stronger, as noted by Passan. That easily eclipses any eight-figure deal that the Giants were hoping to make for Imai.

Edited by R. Nikhil Parshy