Braves Reportedly Interested in Japanese Starting Pitcher

If the Atlanta Braves were to sign this pitcher to a contract, it would break a longstanding trend in the team's free agent activity

The Braves could be looking to break a longtime trend of theirs | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves continue to their push for starting pitching, and they could be taking, by their standard, a road less traveled to acquire it. According to Baseball Prospectus' Gaurav, the Braves are interested in Saitama Seibu Lions' right-hander Tatsuya Imai.

Im hearing that there is interest in Imai Tatsuya by the Braves. Deadline looming. No penalty to sign, and high upside, just risk.

— Gaurav (@gvedak) December 31, 2025

If Imai is to sign with a major league team, it's going to be sometime in the next 48 hours. The deadline to sign players from the NPB is Friday at 5 p.m. If the Braves are interested, there is going to have to been some movement with haste.

Should they sign Imai, it would break a long-standing hesitance from the Braves to sign players from Japan. Those who have followed the team would recall Kenshin Kawakami. It didn't pan out to say the least, and that's been all they've been quiet on that front ever since.

One longstanding trend has already been broken this offseason. With the re-signing of Ha-Seong Kim to a one-year contract, they reached a deal with a Scott Boras client. This could be the offseason to snap a few droughts, including adding a Japanese player.

The three-time All-Star over in the NPB's Pacific League has been nails over his past two seasons. He's pitched to a 2.13 ERA across a combined 337 innings pitched in that span. Two of his three All-Star selections have come in this time as well.

At 27 years old, he's still at a prime age and could be an effective piece to the starting rotation for multiple years, should he end up in Atlanta. Along with him, the Braves rotation will likely consist of Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach and a fifth option, maybe Reynaldo Lopez, Grant Holmes or Hurston Waldrep.

Going after a free agent is the best way to go for the Braves. Their minor league system is already thin, and it would likely cost them key pieces in the system that they've managed to develop. In this scenario, they can get experienced depth while keeping the youth around.

The starting rotation is arguably the last major box they have to check on their offseason to-do list. They made position player additions or re-signings (Kim, Mauricio Dubon and Mike Yastrzemski), as well as a major bullpen addition and re-signings (Robert Suarez and Raisel Iglesias).

If they net a starter, then they'll be a good spot for the upcoming season. They've lacked rotation depth in a drastic way by the summer. This could provide major insurance.