Royals' rival's interest in top NPB talent could complicate KC's competitive window

Despite a productive offseason so far, that's seen them address some major areas of need, the Kansas City Royals have been met with plenty of obstacles.

Some of these have been direct, whether that be high asking prices for desired targets or increased competition for them. But some have been indirect and one of the biggest culprits has been the surprisingly active rebuilding Chicago White Sox.

Not only did they nab a potentially perfect Royals bullpen target after signing lefty swingman Sean Newcomb, they've most notably made some significant strides in the NPB market that could cause some headaches around the division.

Before the holiday lull in offseason activity, they signed one of the biggest Japanese talents in the power hungry corner infielder, Munetaka Murakami, and this week, they are now reportedly linked to the other consensus biggest NPB name on the market in starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai.

According to a report from Yahoo Japan (note that quotes are approximate translations from Japanese to English), the White Sox suddenly have a strong chance of landing the prized international arm.

"With the negotiation deadline approaching at 5:00 PM Eastern Time on January 2nd, powerhouses like the Yankees and Phillies are considered leading contenders, but the White Sox, seeking to rebuild their team, have suddenly emerged as the obvious choice," the Yahoo report said.

"While other major teams are hesitant, the White Sox are taking a proactive stance," the report said. "With no players who have reached the qualified number of innings pitched this season, the White Sox are strengthening their starting rotation, and they view Imai as an 'ace'."

After getting over the initial shock of the possibility that the perennial rebuilding and AL Central basement dwelling White Sox could land two of free agencies biggest targets, there's bigger reasons as to why this could be concerning to the Royals.

White Sox potentially landing two major NPB free agents could have long-term consequences for Royals

It's not completely out of the ordinary for major NPB or KBO talent to choose more centrally residing teams rather than the popular coastal markets of New York or Los Angeles. The Cubs have landed both Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga in recent years while other smaller scale names have called untradional markets home when making the move stateside, such as Shogo Akiyama when he briefly came over to Cincinnati.

However, it's easy to see the effect that signing these stars can have on a franchise beyond just the talents that they bring to the table. The Japanese baseball market is booming and when things pan out, the money definitely translates in America.

It may be an extreme example, but look at the Dodgers and the effect Ohtani has had on them. According to a report from Joon Lee, the Dodgers have not had a hard time whatsoever making his $700 million worth the value.

"The Dodgers made back the entirety of the contract in Ohtani’s first season in tickets, marketing deals in Japan/global, merchandise," Lee wrote on X back in October.

Not to mention, they also have the benefit of having a Cy Young contender in Yoshinobu Yamamoto to help further bolster the hold on the Japanese market.

Then, there's the Cubs, who have also benefitted mightily from landing some of the games biggest Japanese stars, first Yu Darvish back in 2018 and now Imanaga and Suzuki. One of the biggest benefits was their season opening showcase in Tokyo against the aforementioned Dodgers last March.

On top of this, high profile stars from Japan seem to have the same effect as domestic talent when it comes to creating a desirable atmosphere on the free agent and trade markets. Just look at the Dodgers, who have done nothing but continue to bolster their roster even further after inking Ohtani's deal.

Chicago is not a small market by any means, so it's not hard to pitch the city to a player that may not be overly familiar with the American market.

So, if the White Sox suddenly bolster their roster with two of the bigger Japanese talents to come out of NPB in recent years, whose to say the buck stops there. Not only could they continue to be a valuable market for Japanese talent moving forward, but if all goes to plan they suddenly could be come a more appealing big market contender in general and quickly shed their struggling rebuilder moniker rather quickly.

This wouldn't be great for the Royals, who as a smaller market organization, already have to deal with a decently sized market contender in Detroit and the perennially creative Cleveland Guardians atop the division. Plus the Minnesota Twins aren't far removed from their 2023 AL Central title and have plenty of young pieces to fuel their current rebuild.

If Chicago finds a way to come back into competitive relevancy, suddenly Kansas City's prime competitive window will be fought in a division with widespread and potentially uniform contention ambitions.