The Los Angeles Dodgers have spent the last three years cornering the market on Japan’s elite stars. Shohei Ohtani. Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Roki Sasaki. A roster that once felt like a baseball fantasy draft suddenly became a real-life superteam with a Pacific Rim pipeline, two straight championships, and an open invitation to anyone who wanted to join them.
Until now.
When Seibu Lions ace Tatsuya Imai was officially posted, most fans assumed Los Angeles would be the natural landing spot. There’s familiarity, support, proximity, and the ultimate chance to extend the Dodgers’ dynasty. Instead, Imai did something unusual: he pushed back on the idea entirely.
Speaking with Daisuke Matsuzaka on the program Hodo Station and t ranslated by MLB.com, the Sawamura Award winner made it clear he’d rather challenge the Dodgers than join them.
"I’d enjoy playing alongside Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Sasaki, "Imai said. "But winning against a team like that and becoming a World Champion would be the most valuable thing in my life."
That’s the first flicker of competitive defiance during the Dodgers’ Japanese-star rush.
Imai didn’t stop there.
He said he doesn’t want the comfort of leaning on Japanese teammates. He wants the isolation, the survival test, the adjustments that come with diving into the big leagues without a safety net. That’s a stark contrast to the path players like Yamamoto and Sasaki have chosen and a sign that the Dodgers’ gravitational pull may not be universal.
It's also a good sign for the Chicago Cubs, who multiple reports have cited as very interested in Imai. Also for the New York Yankees, who swung and missed on the last three Japanese stars available and owner Hal Steinbrenner said that bringing in their first since Masahiro Tanaka was a priority. Other teams linked to Imai include the Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants.
The right-hander enters MLB with comparisons to Kodai Senga, a rising, high fastball, and a willingness to attack hitters at the top of the zone. And the first hitter he called out? Ohtani. I want to see how my fastball holds up against him.
One arm won’t topple a dynasty. But for the first time in years, a top Japanese star isn’t asking how he can join the Dodgers. He’s asking how he can beat them.
