The White Sox are one of a handful of team’s looking to sign Japanese free agent right-handed pitcher Tatsuya Imai. (Player image from Getty)
The Chicago White Sox are emerging as a serious contender for free-agent right-hander Tatsuya Imai, according to Yahoo Sports Japan.
Imai’s negotiating window with MLB clubs closes Friday at 5 p.m. ET. If he does not reach an agreement by the deadline, he will return to his Nippon Professional Baseball team for the 2025 season.
The 27-year-old ranks as the No. 20 overall player and the No. 8 starting pitcher on Ed Hand’s 2025 MLB Free Agent Tracker. Yahoo Japan also reports that the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies remain in the mix.
Chicago has already made a major splash in Japan this offseason, signing two-time NPB MVP Munetaka Murakamito a two-year, $34 million deal on Dec. 21.
Imai is coming off a dominant 2024 season with the Saitama Seibu Lions, posting a 1.92 ERA over 163 2/3 innings. He struck out 178 batters, walked 45, and allowed just six home runs. Across the past three seasons, Imai has logged 470 frames with a 2.18 ERA, establishing himself as one of NPB’s most reliable front-line starters.
If signed, Imai would likely slot at the top of a White Sox rotation that already includes breakout right-hander Shane Smith, who went 7–8 with a 3.81 ERA in 29 starts and earned a spot on the 2025 All-Star team.
Chicago’s other rotation options include right-handers Sean Burke, Drew Thorpe, and Davis Martin, along with left-handers Anthony Kay, Sean Newcomb, and Ky Bush.
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Speaking recently about the unpredictability of MLB negotiations, Imai acknowledged how quickly things can change.
“With Masataka Yoshida, it seems the Red Sox didn’t even come to Japan to see him, and the deal was wrapped up in a single day,” Imai said. “And with Murakami, not a single person predicted how it would turn out. The media doesn’t really know. What I actually see for myself — what I think and feel — that becomes the truth for me. That’s the only thing I rely on.”
The Phillies, Blue Jays, Yankees, and Cubs are also showing varying interest in Imai amid MLB’s incredibly slow offseason.
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