"Decision time nears for Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai. He needs to finalize a contract with an MLB team by Friday at 4:00 pm Central if he's to make the move stateside this year. There's no indication that he's considering sticking with the Seibu Lions, meaning an agreement should be imminent. While there's a little over 48 hours to make the deal official, Imai must agree to terms with enough margin to complete a standard physical."
"The 27-year-old (28 in May) is conducting in-person meetings with interested teams in Los Angeles this week. The 5'11" righty has been one of Japan's best pitchers over the past two seasons. He's coming off a 1.92 ERA showing with 178 strikeouts across 163 2/3 innings. Imai has an NPB-best 27% strikeout rate since the start of 2024. He sits in the mid-90s with a promising slider."
Tatsuya Imai, a 27-year-old right-hander (28 in May), must finalize an MLB contract by Friday at 4:00 pm Central to move stateside this year and complete a standard physical. He is meeting with interested teams in Los Angeles. Imai posted a 1.92 ERA with 178 strikeouts in 163 2/3 innings and holds an NPB-best 27% strikeout rate since 2024. He averages mid-90s velocity with a promising slider, and improved command produced a 7% walk rate last season. Any signing club will owe a release fee to the Seibu Lions proportional to contract value. He is expected to command a nine-figure guarantee, perhaps near $150 million, as a projected mid-rotation starter.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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