The Saitama Seibu Lions announced on Monday that they will post right-handed pitcher Tatsuya Imai for MLB teams this offseason. The 27-year-old standout enters a 45-day negotiation window after a dominant 2025 season in Nippon Professional Baseball. Imai's availability adds intrigue to a pitching-thin free-agent market.
The Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball made waves in the MLB offseason by announcing they will allow 27-year-old right-hander Tatsuya Imai to be posted for major-league teams. The decision, revealed on Monday, opens a 45-day period for Imai to negotiate a contract with an MLB club. If he signs, the Lions will receive a posting fee based on the deal's value; otherwise, Imai returns to NPB for the next season.
Imai expressed his ambitions in a statement: "Every season, I have played with the goal of winning the league championship and the Japan Series, and that ambition will not change with a new team," he said. "I will continue to compete with a strong desire to win and do my best to contribute to my team’s success."
In 2025, Imai posted a 1.92 ERA over 163 2/3 innings for the Lions, striking out 178 batters while walking 45 and allowing just six home runs. He notched nine complete games, including the first eight innings of a combined no-hitter and a two-hit shutout with 17 strikeouts. Over his past three seasons and 470 innings, his ERA stands at 2.18. Across eight NPB seasons, Imai has a 3.15 ERA.
The 5-foot-11, 154-pound pitcher relies on a fastball reaching 99 mph, a slider with a 45 percent whiff rate, a splitter, changeup, curveball, and a sinker added late in 2025. His low three-quarters arm slot aids deception. Experts compare him favorably to Mets right-hander Kodai Senga, with projections ranging from $120 million to $200 million over eight years.
Potential suitors include the Giants, Mets, Red Sox, and Yankees, who face rotation uncertainties. Imai, with six NPB seasons at age 25 or older, avoids international bonus pool limits. This follows the Tokyo Yakult Swallows' posting of slugger Munetaka Murakami three days earlier, highlighting a strong Japanese talent influx amid MLB's need for starting pitching.
