MLB free agency is months away, but there's already been buzz around the league about a pool of talent that will likely include Kyle Schwarber , Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker . However, Japanese starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai could be the starting pitcher who gets one of the biggest contracts this winter.
Jeff Pasasn of ESPN highlighted Ima as one of the top MLB free agents this winter. Regarding the 27-year-old righty, the MLB insider notes that talent evaluators believe Ima might be an even more intriguing international free agent than Japanese superstar Munetaka Murakami. The bidding war for his services could wind up with him landing a contract valued between $140 to $200 million.
"The combination of his age, performance and premier offerings have front office officials offering gaudy predictions. One suggested Imai could get upward of $200 million, though others balked at that number. A second source said he thinks Imai will receive a $150 million contract. Another said something like Patrick Corbin 's 2018 contract ($140 million over six years) with the Washington Nationals ."
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Tatsuya Imai stats : 1.50 ERA, 85 hits allowed, 159-37 K-BB ratio, 5.3 H/9, 0.3 HR/9, 10.0 K/9, 0.85 WHIP across 143.2 innings pitched this season
Imai would be entering MLB free agency just a few months ahead of his age-28 season. He's been outstanding this year on the mound, pitching in a combined no-hitter in April and recording the best numbers of his career in Nippon Professional Baseball.
Listed at 5-foot-11 and 154 pounds, Imai's career-best season has come at the perfect time. He's cut down his walk rate (3.6 BB/9 to 2.3) from year to year and lowered his WHIP from 1.17 last season to 0.85 this year. He's also on pace to break his career-high in strikeouts (187 in 173.1 innings) from last season.
According to Passan, 20 MLB scouts attended Imai's last start when he delivered a two-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts. In that performance, scouts got a first-hand look at his electric fastball that can hit 99 mph and sits at 95 mph. In addition, per Passan, he also has an outstanding slider that pairs with a changeup, splitter and a curveball. He also added a sinker to his repertoire this season.
Teams also aren't nearly as concerned as they used to be about how a smaller Japanese starting pitcher will fare in the majors. Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga , who is 5-foot-10, has a career 3.01 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 296.1 innings pitched in MLB. Fellow countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto , at 5-foot-10, has emerged as a Cy Young candidate for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season with a 2.82 ERA.
MLB teams will be hoping that the Saitama Seibu Lions, Imai's NPB team, posts him this winter so he can enter MLB free agency. Given that the Seibu Lions could receive tens of millions of dollars in posting fees once Imai signs, there's a stronger likelihood that he is made available for a bidding war among MLB teams this winter.
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