Tatsuya Imai Next Team: Could Yankees Land Japanese Pitcher?

Tatsuya Imai will be taking his talents to Major League Baseball after being posted by the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball on Nov. 19. He must sign with an MLB team by Jan. 2.

Imai, a 27-year-old right-hander, will be one of the top pitchers in the market this offseason. He should have plenty of teams interested in landing him, but where will he end up?

Tatsuya Imai Next Team Odds & Favorites

The BetMGM online sportsbook doesn’t offer odds on Imai’s next team, but it sounds like this market could be determined in the coming days.

According to this Dec. 17 post by Francys Romero, the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs are expected to be finalists to sign Imai.

In early December, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic went on Foul Territory and listed the Yankees, New York Mets, and Philadelphia Phillies as teams interested in signing Imai. Bruce Levine of 670 The Score initially reported that the Cubs were expected to be a strong player in Imai’s market.

What I find interesting about the teams mentioned as strong contenders is their location. There are three East Coast teams, while the Cubs hail from the Midwest. In recent years, some NPB players have preferred joining a California team because it’s closer to Japan.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the last two offseasons, meaning they could be in the mix. However, Imai has reportedly suggested he would rather beat the Dodgers than join them.

The San Francisco Giants, meanwhile, are not expected to spend what it takes to sign Imai.

All told, I’d consider these teams as the favorites to sign Imai:

• Yankees
• Cubs
• Phillies

Tatsuya Imai Next Team Prediction

As things currently stand, I’m predicting the Yankees will sign Imai this offseason. Early on, I believed the Phillies could win the Imai sweepstakes, but they might be coming up short on a Japanese pitcher once again.

Two years ago, the Phillies reportedly outbid the Dodgers for Yamamoto. He ultimately signed a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers, as he preferred living in Los Angeles. He recently won the World Series MVP award, leading the Dodgers to their second straight championship.

Although the Phillies might not be out of the mix just yet, it would make just as much sense for Imai to sign with the Yankees.

If Imai is serious about wanting to defeat the Dodgers, the Yankees are one of his top landing spots. They have won 92 or more games in four of the last five seasons, reaching the 2024 Fall Classic before losing to Los Angeles. Perhaps the addition of Imai could help New York get over the hump, winning its first World Series since 2009.

The Yankees have had a lot of offensive success of late. They led the majors in runs scored (849) last year, while Aaron Judge won a second consecutive MVP award.

New York’s pitching, on the other hand, was average, ranking 14th in MLB with a 3.91 ERA. But that could certainly change in 2026, especially if the Yankees were able to land Imai as another upside player to round out their rotation.

• Gerrit Cole
• Max Fried
• Carlos Rodon
• Cam Schlittler

The Yankees haven’t made any notable signings thus far, but landing Imai would provide a jolt in the fan base for the American League favorites.

Tatsuya Imai’s next team prediction: Yankees