Japanese RHP Tatsuya Imai to Be Posted
Japanese players have begun the posting process, with negotiation windows opening rather soon for some of the stars hoping to come to America for the upcoming season. Tatsuya Imai may be the biggest name departing from Japan, with the Saitama Seibu Lions accepting his posting on Sunday.
The Saitama Seibu Lions have officially approved RHP Tatsuya Imai’s posting to MLB this offseason, joining teammate RHP Kona Takahashi.https://t.co/eT550dUaNt pic.twitter.com/6T5TEKN3VW
— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) November 10, 2025
The right-hander had a career-best 1.92 ERA and 0.892 WHIP in his 163.2 innings during the 2025 season with a mix consisting of a fastball, slider, curveball, and sinker. His slider collected a 45% whiff rate this season as he struck out 27% of the batters he faced.
Several teams will obviously be heavily involved, with Francys Romero reporting that the Yankees are expected to be among the favorites in the sweepstakes for Imai. Jed Hoyer and the Cubs have built a strong relationship with Japanese players, making it a point to grow their reputation throughout NPB. The success of Seiya Suzuki and Shōta Imanaga — even though his current status is in limbo — will surely help them when negotiating with Imai, who will be represented by Scott Boras.
Signing Imai, however, would require spending a large sum of money, which isn’t exactly the Cubs’ MO. Contract projections are somewhere around 6-7 years for $135 million or more, and that’s before factoring in the posting fee.
