Seibu Ace Posting Disclosure, 224.3 Billion At Best, Why Is LAD Quiet?
Nov 11, 2025
|
NPB Seibu Lions requested MLB to post right-handed starter Tatsuya Imai to all MLB clubs on the 11th (Korea time)" he said. Negotiations will take place for 45 days when MLB notifies 30 lightbulbs of Imai's posting.
Imai pitched through Seibu to win the Japan Series every year. Going to a new team won't change that ambition. I will play hard with the will to win. I will do my best for the success of my team"He expressed his willingness to enter the big leagues.
Imai is reminiscent of Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Los Angeles Dodgers in that his main weapon is a splitter and his size is small in the mid to late 90 miles of fastball speed. However, compared to Yamamoto, he was not the top-ranked ace in the NPB. He pitched 163 ⅔ innings in 24 appearances this season, recording 10-5 losses, 1.92, 178 strikeouts, and 173 ⅓ innings in 25 games last year, recording 2.34 ERA and 187 strikeouts, respectively.
Since his debut in 2018, he pitched 963 ⅔ innings in 159 games over eight years, marking 58 wins and 45 losses, 14 shutouts, and a 3.15 ERA and 907 strikeouts.
|
ESPN evaluated Imai as fifth overall in the FA rankings and second in the starting pitcher rankings. Dylan Sheese (6th), the starting pitcher who is dominating the Major League Baseball, and Bobbi the shortstop??(7th), designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (8th), is lower than Imai, and Murakami Munetaka, who is considered the NPB's best big shot, also ranked 10th.
ESPN said 'The highest ransom for foreign pitchers this offseason is likely. It is not an ace, but the second and third starters have some risk, but the clubs will pay a lot of money in that it is a young FA that does not need a qualifying offer. The most important selling point is the percentage of walks. In the last four years, nine innings of walks have decreased every year to 5.1→4.1→3.6→2.5.
In other words, he has both fast balls in the mid-to-late 90 miles that can be successful in the major leagues and stable controls.
ESPN then explained that the success of Shota Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga, who are 1 inch smaller than Imai, helped ease fears of small starters that have raged in the majors for decadesMore than 20 Major League scouts watched him pitch against Rakuten on Sept. 2 with two hits, 10 strikeouts, and a shutout in nine innings.
The contract size of Imai presented by ESPN is '$135 million for six years (W196.7 billion)."
|
MLB.com Reporter John Morosi says 'Imai's career is similar to or slightly better than New York Mets right-hander Senga Godai. The Giants are a leading team that will recruit Lee Mi-ah, he wrote. Senga joined the Mets in 2023 for five years and $75 million, pitching 285 innings in 52 games over three years with a 3.00 ERA and 320 strikeouts. Morosi believes Imai can perform better than Sena.
Given that MLBTR, another leading media outlet, expected $150 million (218.5 billion won) for six years and FanGraphs expected $100 million (145.7 billion won) for five years, Imai is likely to sign a contract at more than $100 million unconditionally.
However, the Los Angeles Dodgers, which have many Japanese superstars, are unlikely to jump into the battle for Imai. Loki Sasaki, who threw Blake Snell, Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani as the closing players in the postseason, is expected to return as a starter, and there are plenty of resources to maintain the six-man rotation, including Emmett Siann. The Dodgers' priority in the FA market is reinforcing outfielders.
San Francisco Giants, Mets, and Boston Red Sox are mainly mentioned about Imai.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
