These days, whenever a young Japanese player is posted to come to MLB, the assumption is that he will join the Dodgers. And why not? The Dodgers are good every single year. They have more money than they can spend. They’re in a somewhat Japanese-friendly time zone. And they have a sizeable Japanese contingent already on the team. Surely, if they want right-handed pitcher Tatsuya Imai, they will get him.

Or will they? In an interview on the Japanese show, Hodo Station, Imai told host Daisuke Matsuzaka that he’d rather beat the Dodgers in the World Series than join them. He was quoted as saying, “Of course, I’d enjoy playing alongside Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Sasaki. But winning against a team like that and becoming a world champion would be the most valuable thing in my life. If anything, I’d

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