Major League Baseball has entered Tatsuya Imai into the transfer system as a free agent, news that immediately interested multiple teams looking to secure the services of the 27-year-old right-handed pitcher, who is considered one of the most dominant arms in Japan. However, his integration into the market is considered by analysts to be highly anticipated and with a contractual projection of a consolidated superstar contract.
Tatsuya has undeniable talent, but the big question is how he will adapt to the Major Leagues, a baseball that is more demanding in terms of schedule and opponents. Despite this, the pitcher arrives with a wide repertoire of pitches where he combines the fastball with zone control. He also has a high ability to generate swings and misses, so it is already said that the franchise that wants the starter will have to pay around $150 million.
Why could Tatsuya Imai receive a contract of up to 150 million in MLB?
Much of the interest in Tatsuya Imai is his great work in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), where he has reached a fastball close to 100 mph with a sharp drop splitter and the reverse slider with angles uncommon in MLB, being the formula that has made him shine in his country for four seasons and positions him as one of the greatest promises.
Tatsuya has three years in a row with 10 wins, more than 130 chocolates per season and an ERA of 1.92. He also has historic performances such as 17 strikeouts, a record that had not been broken for more than two decades and now he is preparing to reach MLB as a promise that has the whole way to build his own story.
MLB teams interested in Tatsuya Imai: Dodgers, Mets and Padres among possible destinations
One of the teams in the foreground is the Los Angeles Dodgers, an organization that has three Japanese talents in the center of the diamond such as Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, which could be very attractive for Tatsuya, they are also the two-time World Series champions and a team that is always fighting in the final stages.
On the other hand, the New York Mets also raise their hand as a possible destination for the Japanese, perhaps being the team with the most urgency in its starting rotation after the recent collapse of its team that cost it a postseason berth.
Finally, there are the San Diego Padres, an organization that always competes with the Dodgers for the division, but in the postseason they have not managed to win, falling short two consecutive years, so they are looking for a starter to help them in critical moments of the campaign.
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