These days, whenever a young Japanese player is posted to come to MLB, the assumption is that he will join the Dodgers. And why not? The Dodgers are good every single year. They have more money than they can spend. They’re in a somewhat Japanese-friendly time zone. And they have a sizeable Japanese contingent already on the team. Surely, if they want right-handed pitcher Tatsuya Imai, they will get him.
Or will they? In an interview on the Japanese show, Hodo Station, Imai told host Daisuke Matsuzaka
that he’d rather beat the Dodgers in the World Series than join them. He was quoted as saying, “Of course, I’d enjoy playing alongside Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Sasaki. But winning against a team like that and becoming a world champion would be the most valuable thing in my life. If anything, I’d rather take them down.”
Does this mean anything? No, probably not. But it’s a really fun thing to read. It’s nice to imagine we live in a world where a star pitcher tells the best team in baseball to pound sand because what he really wants to do is beat them. It’s fun! And hey, maybe the Orioles could sign him! They need pitching after all, and Imai is an intriguing player.
Imai was born in May 1998, meaning he will turn 28 years old early in the 2026 season. He made his debut with the Seibu Lions of the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan in 2017 at the age of 19. He has spent his entire career thus far with the Lions, the last two of which have been very good.
Early in his career, Imai walked too many batters and didn’t strike out enough to make up for it. His walk rate was in the double digits, and his strikeout rate was at or below 20% not a great combination. In 2022, he got his K% up to 24%, and it’s stayed between 24 and 26% since. He has also improved his command every year, dropping his BB% steadily from 13.8% in 2022 all the way down to 7% in 2025.
A pitcher lacking command is always scary, but Imai has shown continual improvement in that direction over the span of four years. That’s a pattern of improvement, not just wishful thinking. He’s been very good, and his best year yet was this year. Imai pitched to 1.92 ERA in 24 starts. His walk numbers were the lowest they’ve been at just 7%, and at 27 years old it’s likely they will stay good for some years to come.
Despite being just 5’11” and 154 pounds, Imai has a fastball that sits around 95 mph and can touch 99. He also uses a slider and splitter regularly. Per baseball writer Jon Paul Morosi, Imai profiles as a slightly better Kodai Senga. Senga is not a superstar but he is a solid baseball player, and if Imai turns out to pitch as well as Senga did in 2025, some MLB team will be very fortunate to have him.
FanGraphs, who named Imai their #20 free agent, believe that Imai could have four plus pitches that still have room to improve, and they believe he has proven himself MLB-ready as far as stamina and strike-throwing ability. He is ranked lower due to the volatility of the NPB offense and because relocating across the world is such a significant life interruption. They believe he can be counted on to be similar to both Zac Gallen and Michael King, but he does have the benefit of being 3-4 years younger than that duo.
Our friends over at MLB Trade Rumors rank Imai significantly higher, calling him their 7th-best free agent. They project him to be a mid-rotation starter and predict he will get a five-year, $150M contract. FanGraphs predicts just $100M.
The Orioles need pitching, and Imai is a young and exciting pitcher. Do they have a chance at signing him? Sure, money talks, right? But the edge has to go to the big market teams not just because of Imai’s potential contract size, but also because the team that signs him will also owe a posting fee to the Seibu Lions. That pushes up the total commitment significantly.
If their contract predictions hold, and if Imai ends up being a similar pitcher to King and Gallen, he will be considerably more expensive than either of those two. But for me, he has the potential to be good longer than King and Gallen, who are both already in their 30s. And there is that unknown factor of how he will adjust to MLB after so many years in Japan. He could be so much better. And it would be really fun for the Orioles to, for once, get this kind of player.
So come to Baltimore, Tatasuya Imai! If you help the Orioles get to the World Series, you could get your wish to beat the Dodgers.
