The Saitama Seibu Lions announced on their official team website (link in Japanese) that they have accepted Imai TatsuyaRequest release to major league team. Once Imai officially takes over, he will have 45 days to sign a contract with a major league team or he will return to the Lions for the 2026 Nippon Professional Baseball season.
It’s been more than two months since the possibility of Imai playing this winter was first reported, and today’s news officially confirms the three-time NPB All-Star as one of the most interesting players in the 2025-26 free agent class. Imai has a 3.15 ERA, 22.31% strikeout rate, and 11.52% walk rate in 963 2/3 career innings with the Lions. While his career walk rate is on the high side, Imai has reduced that number over the past four seasons and has a very solid 7.02% walk rate in 163 2/3 innings in 2025.
Imai is only 27 years old and won’t turn 28 until May. Between his age and an intriguing four-pitch arsenal, headlined by a 95-99 mph fastball and a plus slider, there’s a lot to like about how Imai’s success in the NPB translates against MLB hitters. That upside led MLBTR to rank Imai seventh on our list of the top 50 free agents this offseason, and we expect him to sign a six-year, $150MM deal, although some evaluators believe Imai projects as a backfield starter or even a major-league reliever.
Imai is eligible for unrestricted free agency next offseason, so the Lions may feel that by letting Imai go now rather than 12 months from now, they can at least make some money back by releasing him for free. Under the terms of the MLB-NPB publishing system, any major league team that reaches an agreement with Imai will pay the Lions a staggered fee based on the size of the deal and any future revenue (i.e. options, bonuses, etc.) attached to the initial contract.
The Lions will receive 20% of the first $25MM of the contract, 17.5% of the next $25MM of the contract, and 15% of any money over $50MM. Therefore, if Imai were to sign a deal that matched MLBTR’s $150MM projection, his new team would owe the Lions $24.375MM in release fees in addition to Imai’s $150MM salary.
