The Los Angeles Dodgers have been the absolute dominant force in Major League Baseball over the last two years with back-to-back National League and World Series championships, so they hope to continue to expand their legacy heading into next season and one of their latest moves was the acquisition of former Mets closer Edwin Diaz.
However, Japanese pitcher Tatsuya Imai has mentioned that he is not interested in being part of the California organization and even told Sponichi Annex that “with the number of pitchers they already have, they don’t need him”. In addition, weeks ago he had told Japanese legend Daisuke Matsuzaka that defeating the Dodgers would be “the most valuable thing in his life”.
Does Tatsuya Imai have a rivalry with the Dodgers? Japanese pitcher shows admiration for Ohtani and Yamamoto
Tatsuya Imai is considered one of the best pitchers available in the offseason because he has excelled in his country with 159 games and a 3.15 ERA, including 178 strikeouts in nearly 164 innings pitched during 2025. Imai has mentioned that his priority is to face the Dodgers and demonstrate his MLB talent from another team.
In addition, Tatsuya spoke of having respect for Japanese MLB players such as Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, although his short-term goal is to defeat the Dodgers:
Of course, I would like to play alongside Ohtani, Yamamoto and Sasaki, but to win against a team like that and become world champion would be the most valuable thing in my life
He also made it clear that he has the desire to experience his MLB experience and adaptation to the United States on his own:
I want to experience that feeling of survival, facing cultural differences and understanding them on my own is part of the fun
Tatsuya Imai’s agent, Scott Boras, has confirmed that the two New York teams, the Yankees and Mets, are keeping a close eye on the pitcher to bolster their roster:
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