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Japanese Pitcher Tatsuya Imai Faces MLB Deadline Amid Interest

12/30/2025

24 2 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Tatsuya Imai, a top pitcher from Japan, faces a January 2 deadline to sign with an MLB team.
He has not received formal offers, despite interest from New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, and Philadelphia Phillies.
Imai posted a 3.15 ERA over eight Nippon Professional Baseball seasons and a 1.92 ERA in 2025.
He has ruled out the Los Angeles Dodgers.
His situation mirrors Murakami's late signing.

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Story summary

Tatsuya Imai, a top pitcher from Japan, faces a January 2 deadline to sign with an MLB team.
He has not received formal offers, despite interest from New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, and Philadelphia Phillies.
Imai posted a 3.15 ERA over eight Nippon Professional Baseball seasons and a 1.92 ERA in 2025.
He has ruled out the Los Angeles Dodgers.
His situation mirrors Murakami's late signing.