Because the Los Angeles Dodgers showcased this October, the present contingent of Japanese stars in MLB has by no means been stronger.
Whereas there are a selection of Japanese gamers littered throughout the majors proper now, there’s maybe no extra interesting touchdown spot for these crossing the Pacific than the Dodgers. The repeat World Sequence champions have each the cash to spend and a deep group of stars led by Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.
Appears like a stable match for the likes of Tatsuya Imai, Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto as they enter worldwide free company this winter, proper?
For Imai, a right-handed starter, which may not fairly be the case.
Talking lately with former World Sequence champion Daisuke Matsuzaka on the present, “Hodo Station,” Imai stated he’d welcome the problem of beating his countrymen, somewhat than becoming a member of them.
“In fact, I’d get pleasure from enjoying alongside Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Sasaki,” Imai stated. “However profitable in opposition to a workforce like that and turning into a world champion could be probably the most helpful factor in my life.
“If something, I might somewhat take them down.”
The 27-year-old Imai is ready to be some of the sought-after pitchers on the free-agent market this low season after posting a 1.92 ERA over 163.2 innings for Nippon Skilled Baseball’s Saitama Seibu Lions.
Whereas standing simply five-foot-11, Imai emerged as considered one of Japan’s prime starters this season with an arsenal highlighted by a driving fastball and reverse-breaking slider. It helped him rack up 178 strikeouts in 2025, dwarfing his 45 walks.
“If there have been one other Japanese participant on the identical workforce, I might simply ask them about something, proper?” he stated about his potential touchdown spot. “However that’s truly not what I’m in search of. In a approach, I wish to expertise that sense of survival. After I come face-to-face with cultural variations, I wish to see how I can overcome them by myself — that’s a part of what I’m enthusiastic about.”
Imai was formally posted by the Lions on Nov. 18, that means he has to come back to phrases on an settlement with an MLB membership by Jan. 2.
The Lions will obtain a payment from whichever MLB membership indicators Imai via the posting system. They may get 20 per cent of the primary $25 million of his contract, 17.5 per cent of the subsequent $25 million and 15 per cent of any quantity above $50 million.
