With Shohei Ohtani, Seiya Suzuki, Shota Imanaga and Yoshinobu Yamamoto leading a new generation of Japanese stars in MLB, another wave of talent is ready to cross the Pacific this off-season.

The 2025-26 international free-agent market is shaping up to be as intriguing as ever, with a number of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) stars looking to make the jump this winter.

Headlining that group are NPB standouts Munetaka Murakami and Tatsuya Imai, both of whom have recently been or will soon officially be posted by their respective teams.

Murakami has long been one of Japan’s premier power hitters and will arrive at his new MLB club with the résumé of a certified international superstar.

At just 22 years old in 2022, the left-handed-hitting slugger broke the single-season NPB home run record for Japanese-born players — previously held by the legendary Sadaharu Oh — with 56 blasts. He also served as a key figure on Japan’s World Baseball Classic-winning squad in 2023, homering against the U.S. in the final and drilling a walk-off double to beat Mexico in the semifinal a day prior.

While less heralded, Imai could prove to be one of the biggest difference-makers available in this year’s free-agent class.

A right-hander and three-time NPB all-star, Imai delivered a career-best campaign in 2025 after sharpening his command and adding more swing-and-miss to his arsenal, a combination that now has him in line for a nine-figure MLB deal.

Both players will have 45 days from their posting date to negotiate and land a deal with an MLB team. Here’s everything you need to know about the two Japanese stars as they look for a new home in the coming months.

Age: 25
Position: Third base
Posting Team: Yakult Swallows
Swings: Left | Throws: Right
Height: Six-foot-two | Weight: 213 lbs.
2025 Stats: 56 Games | .273 AVG | 22 HR | 47 RBI | .379 OBP | .663 SLG | 14.3 BB% | 28.6 K%

For as much upside as Murakami brings with his bat, his profile contains a number of red flags — mainly his elevated strikeout and whiff numbers. For reference, no qualified MLB hitter had a higher swinging-strike rate than Murakami’s 17.3 per cent in 2025, and none had a lower contact rate than his 63.9 per cent mark.

So, as he transitions to MLB, where making consistent contact is even more challenging, the question for Murakami will be whether he can get the most out of the contact he does make. Because when he connects, there are few hitters capable of doing damage quite like Murakami, as proven by his 246 career NPB homers and 116.5 m.p.h. max exit velocity that was matched by just 20 MLB batters in 2025.

Limited to 56 games this past season due to an oblique injury, Murakami still finished top five in NPB homers and produced a 98th-percentile walk rate en route to a 1.043 OPS.

Since he will be just 26 by Opening Day, there will be ample time for Murakami to improve and adjust to MLB pitching once he arrives. But with contract projections running as high as MLB Trade Rumors’ $180 million, expectations will undoubtedly be immense for the two-time Central League MVP to hit the ground running.

Adding to that pressure will be Murakami’s below-average to average defence. Although he has primarily played third base throughout his time with the Swallows, he could be destined to end up at first base or designated hitter in MLB, which would only place a greater premium on his offensive results.

Regardless of where he signs, Murakami’s development and transition will be fascinating to watch. If it clicks, he could settle in as a consistent 30-to-40 homer bat. But if the swing-and-miss issues prove to be too much to overcome, we could be looking at a high-variance, three-true outcomes slugger in the mould of an early 2020s-Joey Gallo.

Age: 27
Position: Right-handed pitcher
Posting Team: Saitama Seibu Lions
Height: Five-foot-11 | Weight: 154 lbs.
2025 Stats: 10 Wins | 163.2 IP | 1.92 ERA | 2.01 FIP | 178 SO | 45 BB | .172 BAA | 0.89 WHIP

Imai will join an MLB rotation with a deep pitch mix, highlighted by a fastball that sits 95 m.p.h. and can touch 99. He also features a slider that runs armside, a splitter, a vulcan changeup and a curveball.

The five-foot-11 righty has slowly taken strides through his NPB career, mainly with his command, in the lead-up to his posting. Over his eight seasons in Japan, Imai posted a 10 per cent walk rate, but he cut it to 7.0 per cent in 2025, fuelling his dominant campaign.

On his way to a sub-2.00 ERA, Imai delivered a pair of the best starts by any pitcher in NPB. In mid-April, he worked the first eight innings of a combined no-hitter, and on June 17, he set the Lions franchise record with a 17-strikeout performance. The effort surpassed the previous mark set by Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2004.

Thanks to his shorter frame and low three-quarter arm slot, Imai’s fastball has traits similar to those of Minnesota Twins ace Joe Ryan, according to The Athletic’s Eno Sarris, helping the offering deceive hitters at the top of the zone.

While Japanese pitchers often need time to adjust to the MLB ball and schedule, Imai appears well-positioned to handle the transition. MLB Trade Rumors projects him to receive a six-year, $150 million contract, thanks to his 2025 performance and age.

A Yamamoto-level comparison might be lofty, but he should seemingly perform similarly to the likes of Kodai Senga and Shota Imanaga — a pair of Japanese starters who had strong debut seasons upon moving to MLB.