Tatsuya Imai Rumors, Latest MLB Buzz Ahead of Pitcher's Jan. 2 Posting Window
The next big domino on the pitching market will fall no later than Friday when Tatsuya Imai's 45-day posting window expires, requiring him to either sign with an MLB club or be returned to the Seibu Lions for the 2026 season.
Per The Athletic's Will Sammon and Katie Woo, Imai recently met with "a few teams" in Los Angeles alongside his agent, Scott Boras, with more meetings expected this week.
It wasn't revealed which teams Imai has met with or will meet, but many of the interested suitors have already been discussed.
Those clubs include the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post and MLB Network.
Bruce Levine of 670 The Score reported earlier this month that the Chicago Cubs will be a "strong player" for Imai after missing out on Dylan Cease. The New York Mets could also be involved, but their reported reluctance to give out a long-term deal to any of the free-agent starting pitchers this offseason leaves it unclear how serious they are.
Of course, we have already seen one prominent Japanese player take a short-term contract with the likely goal of building his value to cash in again soon. Munetaka Murakami took a two-year, $34 million deal from the Chicago White Sox after initially being projected to sign a contract closer to $200 million.
Imai has a much safer profile to project into MLB as a pitcher than Murakami does as a hitter. There's also a scarcity of potential frontline starters on the market this offseason that should make it more attractive for teams to feel comfortable giving him a deal closer to the projected $150 million deal that has been suggested.
Murakami's signing timeline could provide a window into when Imai might get a deal done. His deal with the White Sox was reported on Dec. 21, one day before his posting deadline to allow time for a physical.
Imai's posting deadline is Jan. 2, so an announcement could come at any time.
The 27-year-old right-hander is a three-time All-Star in NPB. He owns a 3.15 ERA and 907 strikeouts in 963.2 innings over 159 appearances in eight seasons with the Lions.
