"That's right in line with what Jeff Passan was hearing back in early September, with one front office official saying Imai could get more than $200 million. Another suggested a figure as low as $80 million, but the general consensus seems to be around $150 million or so. There may be a little concern that he's just 5-foot-11 and 154 pounds, but the results don't lie."
"Imai posted a 1.92 ERA with 178 strikeouts and 45 walks over 163.2 innings pitched in NPB for the Saitama Seibu Lions this past season. What's more, and this may be of particular importance to Cubs fans after watching Shōta Imanaga surrender 22 home runs in his last 14 games, is that Imai gave up only six homers. Only eight were hit against him in 173.1 innings last season, so that's no fluke."
"Imai's fastball averages 95 mph and touches 99, which makes him the hardest-throwing starting pitcher in Japan. It would also put him right up there with Cade Horton for the Cubs, well above anyone else in the rotation in terms of velocity. No other shortcoming of this organization over the last decade-plus has drawn my ire as much as the abject lack of big velocity from the pitching staff."
Tatsuya Imai is a 27-year-old right-handed pitcher from NPB's Saitama Seibu Lions projected to attract large MLB free-agent offers, with market estimates clustering near $150 million. He posted a 1.92 ERA with 178 strikeouts, 45 walks, and 163.2 innings this past season while surrendering very few home runs. His fastball averages 95 mph and can reach 99, making him the hardest-throwing starting pitcher in Japan. His arsenal includes a changeup, splitter, curve, sinker recently added, and an unusual slider. The combination of velocity, pitch diversity, and homer suppression drives high valuation and MLB interest.
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