Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai snubs Dodgers as high-stakes MLB free agency window opens

Will Smith sat down with the "MLB on FOX" crew to discuss the Los Angeles Dodgers' Game 7 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2025 World Series.

The Los Angeles Dodgers' big bets on Japanese pitchers paid off earlier this month.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto won World Series MVP honors, Roki Sasaki recorded critical outs and Shohei Ohtani started in Game 7. 

Tatsuya Imai is the latest Japanese ace and free agent who has his sights set on Major League Baseball. But the right-hander hopes his path to the majors does not pass through Los Angeles.

Imai is in the midst of a 45-day posting window, which affords him the opportunity to agree to a contract with any major league team of his choosing.

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Tatsuya Imai of the Saitama Seibu Lions throws against the Orix Buffaloes at the Belluna Dome April 25, 2025, in Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan.  (Sports Nippon/Getty Images)

"I rather take them down," Imai told Japan’s TV Asahi program "Hodo Station," per MLB.com, with a hint of laughter.

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"Of course, I’d enjoy playing alongside [Shohei] Ohtani, [Yoshinobu] Yamamoto and [Roki] Sasaki," Imai added, "but winning against a team like that and becoming a world champion would be the most valuable thing in my life."

Imai most recently pitched for Nippon Professional Baseball's Seibu Lions. The 27-year-old became available to MLB teams on Nov. 19. He experienced some ups and downs in his first few NPB seasons but eventually settled in and became one of the league's more reliable starting pitchers.

Tatsuya Imai (48) of Samurai Japan reacts after pitching in the top of the seventh inning during a game against the Netherlands at Kyocera