On Monday, The Athletic‘s Boston Red Sox reporter Jen McCaffrey identified Tatsuya Imai among the free agent pitchers that Boston might pursue this offseason. “Among the starting pitchers, Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez and Tatsuya Imai (another recent Japanese star who was recently posted) all figure to be free-agent targets as the Winter Meetings approach,” McCaffrey wrote (subscription required). While most Red Sox fans are already familiar with Cease and Valdez, Imai is a less familiar entity, mostly because he’s never pitched in MLB before. However, for Red Sox fans interested in Imai, a comment that Imai recently made about the Los Angeles Dodgers should be of supreme interest. Tatusya Imai on the idea of playing with the Dodgers:“I want to take them down…I think beating a team like that and becoming World Champions would be the most valuable thing in my life.”Should the #Yankees pursue Imai? ðð¤ pic.twitter.com/JeEZOZ57Rf— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) November 24, 2025 Imai said that he’d rather beat the Dodgers than join them, which shows that he’s a pitcher with legitimate competitive fire, and exactly the type of personality that you would want in your clubhouse. Story continues below advertisement As indicated by the post above, the New York Yankees might be among the suitors for Imai. The Red Sox will surely have competition for Imai’s services one way or another, if Boston does end up opting to pursue the right-hander, as McCaffrey suggested. Imai, 27, was posted to MLB on November 18, after a stellar 10-5 season in NPB with a 1.92 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 178 K’s in 163.2 innings itched. Story continues below advertisement His arsenal features a mid-90s fastball (to 99 mph), unique slider, and four potential plus pitches. Scouts are projecting a mid-rotation role. Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has been clear that he’s looking to add another starting pitcher to Boston’s staff this offseason. If Imai ends up being that guy, the Red Sox will have added a fascinating asset to their rotation. Who will end up joining the sweepstakes for Imai, and will the Red Sox ultimately be among them? Time will tell, but Cease and Valdez are also excellent options (and both are proven at the MLB level). Story continues below advertisement