Mets called top free agency destination for Japanese international ace

The New York Mets should be major players in signing Japan's next elite pitcher that's coming to MLB.

Jul 13, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a New York Mets hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

As soon as slugger Juan Soto agreed to a 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets in free agency this past MLB offseason, the winter's biggest story turned toward Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki.

Sasaki had recently turned 23 years old at the time and had been posted by his Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league team, which meant he could sign with any MLB team he desired. And given his extraordinary NPG stats across four seasons, his elite stuff and velocity, and him being available at a bargain price (because he was younger than 25 and had less than six years of service time, he could only sign for somewhere around $5-6 million as an international free agent), every team was interested.

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Ultimately, Sasaki signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in what was another massive move for the reigning World Series champions.

Jun 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) walks on the field prior to the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

While Sasaki's first MLB season hasn't gone according to plan (he has a 4.72 ERA across just eight games pitched because he has been dealing with a shoulder injury for much of the season), he still has a bright future ahead.

He's also just one of many Japanese standouts who shone in the NPB before getting posted by their former teams. Several more such players will receive the same treatment this upcoming offseason, and one of these seems to be a great fit for the Mets.

Insider Asserts Mets are Top Landing Spot for Tatsuya Imai

While 27-year-old Japanese righty Tatsuya Imai might not have been a household name at this time one year ago, he certainly is now. Imai has produced a 9-5 record with a 1.50 ERA and 159 strikeouts in 143.2 innings pitched with his NPB team this season.

A 2-hit shutout for Tatsuya Imai…just one pitch shy of a Maddux!

9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K, 100 P, 18 Whiffs

Fastball topped at 99 mph and he threw the new sinker 19 times 👀

ERA back down to 1.50 🦁pic.twitter.com/NzfDl6iCQt

— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) September 2, 2025

And in a September 5 article, Jon Heyman of the New York Post said that Imai (who he called the No. 8 best free agent available in baseball this offseason) is expected to be posted this winter, and that the Mets are one of his top potential destinations.

It's worth noting that there were six teams listed as Imai's top suitors, which include the Dodgers, the Yankees, the Cubs, and Padres, the Mariners, and the Mets, which means that David Stearns will have some competition in bringing Imai to Queens. It's also worth noting that Imai is over 25 years old, so he would be treated like any other free agent in terms of what he could receive on the open market (as opposed to being capped like Sasaki was).

While there's still a lot to be figured out between now and when the Imai sweepstakes begin, it seems that the Mets are among the few teams in pole position to sign him.