The Dodgers have cornered the market on Japanese talent — but one major star does not appear to be California Dreamin’.

Right-handed pitcher Tatsuya Imai, currently in the middle of a 45-day posting window to sign with an MLB team, downplayed the back-to-back World Series champions as one of his preferred destinations.

Tatsuya Imai (left), one of the top Japanese players available this offseason, sat down with ex-MLBer Daisuke Matsuzaka for an interview on Japan’s TV Asahi. TV Asahi

Imai boldly stated he’d prefer to defeat the Dodgers, who boast some of baseball’s most elite talent from Japan, rather than join them. TV Asahi

During an interview with Japanese legend and ex-MLBer Daisuke Matsuzaka on Japan’s TV Asahi program “Hodo Station”, Imai addressed his MLB future — and did not mince words about the Dodgers.

“I rather take them down,” Imai said with a chuckle, according to MLB.com.

“Of course, I’d enjoy playing alongside [Shohei] Ohtani, [Yoshinobu] Yamamoto and [Roki] Sasaki,” Imai also said during the interview, according to the outlet, “but winning against a team like that and becoming a World Champion would be the most valuable thing in my life.”

Imai, 27, was posted on Nov. 19 by his Nippon Professional Baseball team, the Seibu Lions — immediately making him one of the most coveted starters this offseason.

In 159 career games for the Lions, Imai has a 3.15 ERA, including a 1.92 ERA and 178 strikeouts across 163⅔ innings in 2025. Getty Images

After uneven results during his first three NPB seasons, the 5-foot-11, 154-pound hurler has developed into one of Japan’s top starters since 2021, making three NPB All-Star teams and even pitching in a combined no-hitter last season.

“When most teams talk to me about Imai, they say, ‘Oh my,’” agent Scott Boras said at the GM meetings earlier this month. “He’s that kind of guy. I think when you watch him pitch, he leaves an indelible mark on you. Kind of a Tatsuya. So you always remember what you saw and how that type of talent has converted over here, has done so well.”

In 159 career games for the Lions, he has a 3.15 ERA, including a 1.92 ERA and 178 strikeouts across 163⅔ innings in 2025.

Imai revealed he prefers joining a team that currently does not have a Japanese player, aiming to be fully immersed in the United States.

Ohtani (left) and Yamamoto during the World Series championship parade and celebration. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“They’d just tell you anything if you asked, right?” Imai said of teaming with a native Japanese player in America. “I don’t 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.”

The Dodgers have recruited some of the most premier Japanese players in recent years, including four-time Most Valuable Player Ohtani, who won the award in his first two seasons in LA. World Series hero Yamamoto and the right-handed flamethrower Sasaki also joined the Dodgers over the past two seasons.

Even this offseason, Yakult Swallows slugger Munetaka Murakami, also in the midst of a posting window, has been spotted dining with Yamamoto, fueling speculation he could be the Dodgers’ next Japanese star.

The Yankees — who have consistently lost out on international talent — have not had a native Japanese player on their roster since Masahiro Tanaka, who last appeared for the team in 2020.

The Yankees are reportedly one of several teams interested in Imai ahead of his posting window closing on Jan. 2, 2026.

Imai’s 45-day posting window closes on Jan. 2, 2026. Getty Images

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman recently said the team’s success in the Japanese market is “too long gone,” but insisted he’d consider any player who can help the team.

“I’m interested in gravitating to any player anywhere in the world, including Japan,” Cashman said. “We’ll play in those markets if it’s a fit for us, and we’ll try to land a player domestically or internationally – it doesn’t really matter.”

Imai and Matsuzaka discussed the latter being more drawn to facing Ichiro Suzuki than teaming with him when he left Japan to sign with the Boston Red Sox in 2007.

As he contemplates his next career move, Imai offered a similar take on who he’d most like to face in the majors.

“It’s Shohei Ohtani,” he said. “I really want to test how far my fastball can go against him, or rather, I have a strong desire to pitch against Ohtani.”