Will Tatsuya Imai Sign Contract at Winter Meetings? MLB Insider Updates Latest Rumors

Japanese pitcher Tatsuya Imai could make a decision about signing with an MLB team during the winter meetings later this month, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Passan reported Monday that "some executives expect him to come off the board in Orlando."

The Saitama Seibu Lions posted Imai in November, and he has until Jan. 2 to negotiate a contract.

The bidding war for the 27-year-old won't reach the heights of the Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes, which culminated in a 12-year, $325 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yamamoto only turned 25 midway through the 2024 season, and he had assembled a stronger body of work in Nippon Professional Baseball.

Still, ESPN's Kiley McDaniel projects Imai to get $135 million over six years.

Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reported the Toronto Blue Jays were interested in the right-hander, both for what he'd provide on the mound and the commercial boost a marquee Japanese player would provide.

The American League champions reportedly agreed to a $210 million deal with Dylan Cease, which might remove them from the market for Imai.

According to The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly, the San Francisco Giants also "do not anticipate making the nine-figure investment required to sign Imai — or any of the other top pitchers on the free-agent market."

The New York Yankees could be a more aggressive suitor, per Brendan Kuty of The Athletic. Their Big Apple rivals make plenty of sense, too, given their deep pockets and need for pitching.

The MLB winter meetings run from Dec. 8-10, so Passan's report points to a conclusion sooner rather than later.