Reports from Japan this weekend indicated that Okamoto was traveling to the US for a final round of face-to-face meetings. Imai apparently does the same. Katie Woo and Will Sammon of The Athletic wrote last night that Imai had spoken to multiple teams and would continue to do so throughout the week. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that Imai and Okamoto – both of whom are represented by the Boras Corporation – are conducting in-person interviews in Los Angeles (link via Brian Murphy of MLB.com). Scott Boras is based in Southern California, so the location of the meetings should not be taken as an indication that the Dodgers or Angels are favorites.
Imai has been publicly linked to the Yankees, Mets, Cubs, Phillies and Orioles since the beginning of his post-season. While a recent one Yahoo! Japanese article mentioned the White Sox as another possibility, the report from MLB.com downplays the likelihood of the White Sox landing the right-hander. Chicago shockingly added Munetaka Murakami last week, but that only came after the slugger’s market collapsed over concerns about his strikeout rate. Murakami ultimately settled for a two-year contract worth $34 million. Imai is expected to do much better considering the cost of starting pitching with a high upside.
The 5’11” righty has been one of Japan’s best pitchers over the past two seasons. He is coming off a 1.92 ERA with 178 strikeouts over 163 2/3 innings. Imai has an NPB-best strikeout rate of 27% as of early 2024. He sits in the mid-90s with a promising slider. Command was an issue earlier in his career, but his strike-throw has improved as he has gained more experience Last season’s 7% walk rate was a personal low and better than the MLB average.
Imai is entering his age-28 season. His contract is due to be finalized on Friday, so it is likely he will agree to terms tomorrow or Thursday. This leaves time for a standard physical check. The team that signs him will owe a placement fee to the Seibu Lions. That is proportional to the contract value: 20% of the first $25 million, 17.5% of the next $25 million and 15% of all further expenditure.
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