Are the San Francisco Giants going to make a run at a Japanese starting pitcher?

That's some of the buzz surrounding the Giants as president of baseball operations Buster Posey and first-year manager Tony Vitello, among others in the Giants' front office, head to Orlando, Fla.

Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai has been linked to the Giants, according to ESPN baseball writer Buster Olney. The Athletic and MLB Network's Ken Rosenthal, though, indicates that San Francisco might not be willing to sign a big-money contract with Imai at this time.

In an article from MLB.com, Imai's situation is covered in detail.

"The Giants 'have been repeatedly linked' to Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai, according to ESPN's Buster Olney," the MLB.com article states. "But will San Francisco be willing to hand out the kind of deal it will take to land him?

"MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal reports for The Athletic that the Giants might not be inclined to give Imai -- or any other starting pitcher -- a nine-figure contract this offseason," according to the article.

"And although Olney added that the Giants might rather pursue more 'modestly priced' options, San Francisco could certainly use another frontline starter as president of baseball operations Buster Posey heads into his second season at the helm with new manager Tony Vitello also now in the fold."

Teams mentioned as potential suitors for Imai's services include the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and New York Yankees -- all teams with deep pockets financially.

So, what about the Los Angeles Dodgers? Well, Imai, in a recent interview, indicated that he'd rather face and beat the Dodgers himself en route to a World Series championship. 

Imai will be getting a ton of attention at the Winter Meetings.

But MLB teams already know that he wants a big payday. No team will be able to come up and give him a small (what's small these days, though?) contract. MLB teams have noticed that Japanese pitchers like, of course, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have flourished in the big leagues in the United States.

Imai probably wants to test himself in the MLB world after playing for the Saitama Seibu Lions in the Nippon Professional Baseball league.

This will be something worth watching for Giants fans in the coming days. Maybe the Giants get a deal with Imai or look elsewhere. But the drama is definitely cranking up around him.

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