We’re 10 days away from the Tatsuya Imai posting expiring, and not really much closer to knowing with much confidence (1) the teams seriously making a real push, or (2) the expected price tag. As we saw two years ago with Shota Imanaga (and recently with Munetaka Murakami), the markets for Japanese stars is notoriously difficult to project, and the rumor mill is far more mum than for domestic free agents. It’s just the way these things always go.
That said, there are some interesting bits out there recently that I thought worth commenting upon as we get closer to the deadline …
Speaking of the way things played out with Shota Imanaga, I can’t help but keep coming back to it. Covering it closely at the time, here’s how I remember things: the rumors of the Cubs’ interest were existent going back into November and through December, yes, but they were fairly soft. That was a combination of the way the rumor mill typically churns through lots and lots of possible connections out there – Imanaga was just one possible target – and also because the expected price tag on Imanaga was so difficult to pin down. For reasons that have become historically obvious, there wasn’t much reason to believe the Cubs were going to go to nine figures on him, even if they liked him. So it wasn’t until the final week or so that it became clearer and clearer that the Cubs were definitely involved, and the contract wasn’t going to be as massive as originally speculated. That was all more or less by design, with the Cubs intentionally staying involved the whole way because they really liked the pitcher, but hoping they could come to a creative contract structure that worked for everyone. Could the same thing be happening with Tatsuya Imai? Here’s hoping! I say that in part because The Athletic crew has confirmed, in print and in pod, that the Cubs are not going way over the top to sign Tatsuya Imai:"I certainly do think if you're not getting to those crazy numbers ($150-200M) that the Cubs are interested."@sahadevsharma believes Tatsuya Imai could still be an option for the Cubs at the right price. pic.twitter.com/YDrhLL37wR
— North Side Territory (@NSideTerritory) December 24, 2025 Interesting to hear that, even though the Cubs aren’t going to go to $150+ million on Imai, it’s possible his market never quite reaches that level. And if not, yes, the Cubs could/would be involved. Without reporting it out, necessarily, Joel Sherman offered his thought that, in general, he’d be very surprised if the Yankees offered up a huge contract to an “unknown” quantity like Imai, given the three large pitcher contracts on the books AND the availability of Tarik Skubal in free agency after the season. Speaking of the Yankees, Jack Curry continues to express pessimism about the Tatsuya Imai situation in his reporting, as he has for a couple weeks now. When talking about the connection between the Yankees and Imai, Curry said: “The vibe I’m getting is that connection does not exist …. With Imai, the Yankees have been very quiet. I don’t think the Yankees have been as aggressive, as intense in any kind of pursuit of Imai. They are making some moves around the edges … but I don’t think they are the frontrunners for Imai, and I don’t think he’ll be signing with them.” That’s not necessarily definitive, and these processes are incredibly secretive. But it’s fair to point out, together with Sherman’s comment about the current pitchers on the books and Skubal coming, the Yankees do still want to re-sign Cody Bellinger. Doing that will take them way past the top luxury tax threshold ($304 million), which means every incremental dollar from there is basically two dollars. Maybe that doesn’t matter, but even the Yankees have a budget. They’ve been around $315M or lower each of the last many years, and, again, even just Bellinger on the kind of deal he’s expected to get will push the Yankees to just about that number (without any in-season moves accounted for). So maybe the Yankees really aren’t going to make a big push for Tatsuya Imai, and will instead hang around like the Cubs? If the Cubs and Yankees are merely hanging around, is there a team that could jump up and really give Tatsuya Imai a meaningful number? Well, the team to watch out for would be the Phillies, who’ve been attached in rumors, and who could pretty clearly use another starting pitcher with Ranger Suarez departing and Zack Wheeler returning from surgery. For what it’s worth the Phillies are already at about $300 million in payroll for 2026, without any in-season moves yet, and that’s only $15 million less than their final number in 2025. No idea if they can blow that number away in 2026, or if they’re looking to find a less-expensive starting option. Of course, if the price tag falls far enough, suddenly you could expect a White-Sox-Murakami situation, where lots of middle-market clubs will probably try to get involved. A good question from Greg:Will Tatsuya Imai be able to maintain the level of control he gained this season (2.5 BB/9, 7% BB rate)? He’s been a 4 BB/9 (10%) guy until this yearCareer NPB numbers Imai: 4.4 BB/9 – (includes this season)Yamamoto: 2.0 BB/9Imanaga: 2.4 BB/9Sasaki: 2.0 BB/9Senga: 3.6 BB/9
— Greg Zumach (@IvyFutures) December 24, 2025 I would point out that Tatsuya Imai’s walk rate has improved every single season since 2020, so it does seem like there’s probably something to it. (His strikeout rate has also improved along the same trajectory, and ditto his CSW.) Still, it’s really just a fact that Imai’s only TRULY dominant season was 2025. He was very good and successful before that, but 2025 was on another level. Just a one-off season, or a real step forward for the 27-year-old? I love this pitch. It’s a slider, but it moves like a really nasty splitter:This is one of the craziest "wrong way" sliders I saw from Tatsuya Imai. This pitch got 8.5 inches of arm side and -6 vert at 90 MPH. t.co/5mUNkUvaxp pic.twitter.com/9WYAVhugbW
— Aram Leighton (@AramLeighton8) December 18, 2025 A miscellaneous dominant performance from Tatsuya Imai if you want to watch some highlights of what he looks like at his best:Hence then, the article about tatsuya imai notes cubs involvement price tag yankees pessimism other suitors much more was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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