Tatsuya Imai has drawn interest from several MLB teams, but he still has not received a formal offer as the deadline to sign approaches. The 27-year-old right-hander, represented by Scott Boras, has been linked with the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox.
Imai’s track record is the reason the market has stayed active. In 159 Nippon Professional Baseball appearances, he compiled a 3.15 career ERA, then followed that with a 1.92 ERA in 2025. That has made him one of Nippon Professional Baseball’s top arms and a potential mid-rotation starter in MLB.
For interested clubs, the decision is not simply about the numbers. Teams are weighing the risks and rewards of signing Imai while also considering other proven starters available on the market. That calculation matters now because the clock is moving toward the signing deadline, and the field has not yet produced a deal.
The Dodgers are not part of that picture. Imai has already publicly ruled out Los Angeles, narrowing the list of possible landing spots and making the unresolved pursuit by other clubs more important. The Red Sox, meanwhile, have already made moves to strengthen their rotation, which could shape how aggressively they keep pushing.
What comes next is straightforward: either a club finally steps forward with an offer or the market closes with one of the winter’s more closely watched pitching pursuits still unfinished. For now, Imai remains available, and the teams linked to him still have to decide whether his upside is worth acting on before the deadline arrives.