Overview

• Ace right-hander Tatsuya Imai has informed Seibu he wants to move to MLB via the posting system this offseason and has signed with a major U.S. agency.
• Club president Okumura said he intends to meet with Kona Takahashi, who has been linked to a potential posting request, after the season finale.
• Okumura described the organization’s posture as cautious, saying discussions will proceed only if approached by the players.
• Imai, 27, completed a third straight 10-win campaign with 178 strikeouts and a 1.92 ERA across 24 starts.
• As the regular season concluded, Hanshin’s Teruaki Sato captured the Central League home run and RBI titles, and reports indicated Lotte manager Masato Yoshii plans to step down.