It was a memorable postseason for former Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers. Yoshinobu Yamamoto , Shohei Ohtani and Roki Sasaki helped the Los Angeles Dodgers win a championship. And Yamamoto was named World Series MVP . All three made the transition from pro ball in Japan, finding success in the majors. Now Tatsuya Imai will attempt to follow in their footsteps as the NPB standout is posting and will enter MLB free agency this offseason.

The 27-year-old starter pitched eight seasons for the Saitama Seibu Lions. But Imai made a name for himself with a dazzling 2025 campaign. Imai went 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA, 0.892 WHIP and 178 strikeouts in 163.2 innings last season. Now he’s ready to join the majors. And Imai could command a massive contract .

Teams in need of starting pitching

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