The Dodgers have cornered the market on Japanese talent \u2014 but one major star does not appear to be California Dreamin\u2019.<\/p>\n
Right-handed pitcher Tatsuya Imai, currently in the middle of a 45-day posting window<\/a> to sign with an MLB team, downplayed the back-to-back World Series champions as one of his preferred destinations.<\/p>\n Tatsuya Imai (left), one of the top Japanese players available this offseason, sat down with ex-MLBer Daisuke Matsuzaka for an interview on Japan\u2019s TV Asahi. TV Asahi<\/p>\n Imai boldly stated he\u2019d prefer to defeat the Dodgers, who boast some of baseball\u2019s most elite talent from Japan, rather than join them. TV Asahi<\/p>\n During an interview with Japanese legend and ex-MLBer Daisuke Matsuzaka on Japan\u2019s TV Asahi, Imai addressed his MLB future \u2014 and did not mince words about the Dodgers.<\/p>\n \u201cI rather take them down,\u201d Imai said with a chuckle, according to MLB.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, I\u2019d enjoy playing alongside [Shohei] Ohtani, [Yoshinobu] Yamamoto and [Roki] Sasaki,\u201d Imai also said during the interview, according to the outlet, \u201cbut winning against a team like that and becoming a World Champion would be the most valuable thing in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n Imai, 27, was posted on Nov. 19 by his Nippon Professional Baseball team, the Seibu Lions \u2014 immediately making him one of the most coveted starters this offseason.<\/p>\n In 159 career games for the Lions, Imai has a 3.15 ERA, including a 1.92 ERA and 178 strikeouts across 163\u2154 innings in 2025. Getty Images<\/p>\n After uneven results during his first three NPB seasons, Imai has developed into one of Japan\u2019s top starters since 2021, making three NPB All-Star teams and even pitching in a combined no-hitter last season.<\/p>\n In 159 career games for the Lions, he has a 3.15 ERA, including a 1.92 ERA and 178 strikeouts across 163\u2154 innings in 2025.<\/p>\n Imai revealed he prefers joining a team that currently does not have a Japanese player, aiming to be fully immersed in the United States.<\/p>\n Ohtani (left) and Yamamoto during the World Series championship parade and celebration. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019d just tell you anything if you asked, right?\u201d Imai said of teaming with a native Japanese player in America. \u201cI don\u2019t really want that; in a way, I want to experience that survival vibe, and facing cultural differences and figuring them out on my own is part of the fun.\u201d<\/p>\n The Dodgers have recruited some of the most premier Japanese players in recent years, including four-time Most Valuable Player<\/a> Ohtani, who won the award in his first two seasons in LA. World Series hero <\/a>Yamamoto and the right-handed flamethrower Sasaki<\/a> also joined the Dodgers over the past two seasons.<\/p>\n Even this offseason, Yakult Swallows slugger Munetaka Murakami, also in the midst of a posting window, has been spotted dining with Yamamoto<\/a>, fueling speculation he could be the Dodgers\u2019 next Japanese star.<\/p>\n The Yankees \u2014 who have consistently lost out on international talent \u2014 have not had a native Japanese player on their roster since Masahiro Tanaka, who last appeared for the team in 2020.<\/p>\n