May 25, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Detailed view of a Philadelphia Phillies hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Tatsuya Imai: The Psycho The Phillies Desperately Need

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Ian Harper | Last updated Dec 10, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The transition from Nippon Professional Baseball to MLB is often viewed as a chance for Japanese stars to prove themselves on the biggest global stage in front of the brightest lights.

For 27-year-old starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai, proving himself is something he believes he has already done. The Seibu Lions' righthander has been utterly fantastic throughout his career in Japan, putting a bow on his NPB tenure with a dazzling 1.92 Earned Run Average through 163.2 innings in 2025, tallying 178 strikeouts and five complete games.

He expressed his desire to play in the MLB, and was finally given the chance to do so earlier this offseason.

Imai was officially posted by the Lions on November 19th; he will have until January 2nd to officially ink a deal with an MLB team of his choice.

The Final Rotation Piece

When it comes to the intangibles, there's not much that Imai lacks.

The Phillies are seriously interested in Japanese star pitcher, Tatsuya Imai.

Here's why.

Imai has publicly stated in interviews that he wants to take the Dodgers down instead of joining them. His preferred destination is a team in the East Coast with no Japanese pitchers on… pic.twitter.com/yFFDyLGqGo
— Gavin Sweeney (@Gsweens09) December 9, 2025

A fastball that touches upper 90s with the chance to tick up to 100, as well as being very comparable metric-wise to current MLB star Joe Ryan of the Minnesota Twins, a low walk rate, and secondaries that have shown the ability to be above average offerings at the very least.

For a rotation that's likely set to lose crafty southpaw Ranger Suarez to free agency, he would be an incredible fit to round out an already-lethal group of starters. However, Imai's greatest attraction to the Philadelphia Phillies may be his mindset. In an era where Japanese players making the transition to MLB is viewed as a direct pathway onto the Los Angeles Dodgers' roster, he has already refuted that potential reality on multiple occasions.

“I want to beat [the Dodgers]," Imai said in an interview with TV Ashi. "Beating a team like that and becoming world champions would be the most valuable thing in my life.”

Imai also reportedly prefers to sign with a club that has no current Japanese presence, a criterion that the Phillies squarely fall into. The connection between the two intensified recently, when NPB news outlet Sponichi Annex reported on Philadelphia's interest in the flamethrower.

"According to a MLB executive, the Phillies are seriously considering acquiring pitcher Tatsuya Imai (27) from Seibu Lions via the posting system," reporter Daisuke Sugiaura wrote. "The team is short on right-handed starting pitchers and [he] fits their needs."

For a team that desperately needs to display a greater level of fight this year, especially into October, a pitcher with the makeup and mentality that Tatsuya Imai possesses aligns with the team's future almost perfectly. While most of the reporting surrounding the Phillies and Imai has come from Japanese sources, and little from top MLB insiders, free agency is always a crapshoot as to who signs where.

As the Winter Meetings wrap up on Wednesday and free agency continues to roll on, it will be interesting to watch how the situation develops between the Phillies and one of Japan's premier arms.