Tatsuya Imai did a live interview on Japanese TV earlier today, and the Yankees were probably happy to hear some of the comments the right-handed pitcher made.
In this interview, he mentioned that not only would he prefer to join an MLB team without a Japanese player, but he also mentioned that he’d want to beat the Dodgers; not join them:
“I want to take them down…I think beating a team like that and becoming World Champions would be the most valuable thing in my life.”
During the 2025 season Imai was one of the top pitchers in Japan, sportijng a 1.92 ERA and striking out over 27% of batters faced, and he could get a serious payday this upcoming winter.
Unlike with Shohei Ohtani and Roki Sasaki, who wanted nothing to do with the Yankees it seems, and even Yoshinobu Yamamoto who seemed to prefer the Dodgers, Tatsuya Imai is a player who will take the best offer and situation.
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Could the Yankees Finally Break Their NPB Free Agency Drought?
The Yankees have had the excuse of not being the preferred team of recent top free agents from Japan who they’ve had heavy interest, but they can’t make such a claim this time around.
Sources have told Empire Sports Media that Imai remains a priority for the team even after their acquisition of Trent Grisham on a one-year $22.025 million Qualifying Offer.
A miss on Imai would be due to their bid falling short, which could or could not be justified depending on what’s offered and his eventual production.
Imai’s fastball sits at 95.5 MPH from a lower-slot release, with teams across the league having varying opinions of his median outcome and ceiling.
Some view Imai as a middle-of-the-rotation starter who can maybe take the ball in a Game 3 or Game 4 situation come October, others believe this could be a no. 2 on a World Series contender.
The consensus seems to be that Imai is as good if not better than the likes of Kodai Senga, who was two years older when he was posted from the NPB.
My personal view is that Imai is the most polished starter to be posted from the NPB outside of Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the last 10 years, sporting both quality stuff and improving command.
His unique ‘wrong-way’ slider is paired with a good feel for throwing offspeed pitches and if a team can expand his repertoire further, Tatsuya Imai could be a real force inside an MLB rotation.