MLB teams desperately in need of a strong starting pitcher got some welcome news Monday. The Seibu Lions will post star pitcher Tatsuya Imai, opening the door for him to join a team in the majors, the team confirmed.
Imai, 27, has been among the best pitchers in Japan’s pro league, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He posted a 1.92 ERA, with 178 strikeouts, over 163 2/3 innings last season.
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Once Imai is posted, MLB teams will have 45 days to negotiate with Imai on a contract. If he agrees to a deal, that MLB team would turn around and pay a posting fee to the Lions for making Imai available. That posting fee is paid out in addition to whatever contract the team agrees to with Imai. The posting fee varies based on the contract Imai receives.
If Imai fails to agree to terms with an MLB team, he would return to NPB for the next season.
The posting comes at an ideal time for both Imai and the Lions. The MLB free-agent market is somewhat light on starting pitching. Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez, Ranger Suárez and Shota Imanaga headline the available talent on the market, but each of those players have flaws.
For all his strikeout upside, Cease has a 4.18 ERA over the last three seasons due to inconsistency. Valdez and Suárez aren’t elite strikeout options and are prone to tough stretches. Imanaga experienced regression in his second season and is homer prone.
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Imai is completely unproven in the majors, but does have youth on his side. He’s at least two years younger than the other top options on the market and is arguably coming off the best season of any free-agent pitcher.
Recent pitchers to come over from NPB have experienced varying degrees of success in the majors. Imanaga and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto stand out as success stories. Both players already have All-Star appearances under their belts. Roki Sasaki, the Dodgers’ big acquisition last offseason, was a mixed bag as a starter and battled injuries. By the playoffs, however, he was a legitimate weapon out of the bullpen. Despite that, his future and role in the majors is still cloudy.
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Imai won’t be the only player posted by an NPB team this winter. On Saturday, the Yakult Swallows posted third baseman Munetaka Murakami. The 25-year-old comes with massive power, but plenty of swing and miss.
Both players should draw interest during their posting windows. Given Murakami’s flaws, and the lack of elite pitching talent on the market, Imai could prove to be the much more expensive — and more talented — of the pair coming over to MLB this winter.
