Overview
- Imai’s 45-day posting window closes Friday at 5 p.m. ET, and if he remains unsigned he will return to the Seibu Lions for 2026 under NPB-MLB rules.
- He is holding meetings with interested clubs in Los Angeles this week, according to MLB.com, as talks compress ahead of the deadline.
- Reported suitors vary by outlet, with some linking the Yankees, Phillies, Cubs, Mets, White Sox, Blue Jays and Rays, and YES Network’s Jack Curry disputing a Yankees connection.
- Agent Scott Boras is steering late negotiations, and Imai has requested that his trainer and interpreter be included in any MLB agreement.
- Early nine-figure projections have cooled in a volatile Japan-to-MLB market, highlighted by Munetaka Murakami agreeing to a two-year, $34 million deal with the White Sox.