Between puns and praise pertaining to his clients, Scott Boras made some news on Wednesday when he held court at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas.
The agent said that Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai, a Boras Corp. client, will be posted by Nippon Professional Baseball’s Saitama Seibu Lions on Nov. 19. From there, Imai will have 45 days to reach a deal with a major league team.
The 27-year-old will be the best pitcher available in a talented Japanese free agent class that also includes hitters Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto. Imai should draw widespread interest throughout the posting process.
The Yankees, eager to get back into the Japanese market and looking at lots of moving parts in their rotation, are expected to seriously pursue the right-hander. The Mets, who already employ Kodai Senga, also make sense for Imai.
Both New York teams courted Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki in recent years, but Imai’s fellow countrymen ended up with the Dodgers. With Shohei Ohtani also in Los Angeles, the Dodgers have dominated – and profited from – that market.
Boras said Imai “certainly” has done everything that Yamamoto did in Japan before transitioning to the majors, though the Dodgers’ ace had a far more decorated career in Nippon Professional Baseball and international play.
Still, Imai appears well-positioned for major league success with a fastball that sits around 95 mph, one of five pitches in his arsenal, and a track record of durability. He is coming off a dominant season with the Lions, recording a 1.92 ERA and 178 strikeouts over 163.2 innings.
Imai has a 3.15 ERA over eight NPB seasons.
“When most teams talk to me about Imai, they say, ‘Oh, my,’” Boras said. “He’s that kind of guy. I think when you watch him pitch, he leaves an indelible mark on you.”
Boras added that he didn’t have a posting date for Okamoto, another client and member of the Yomiuri Giants. However, he said the corner infielder is “along the same line” as Imai.
