Because Paul Toboni doesn’t have a history of running a front office yet, imaginations can run wild when it comes to how the Washington Nationals are going to attack this offseason.
While he most likely will take a muted approach with an ownership group that has been hesitant to spend in recent years, there are tons of high-profile players available on the open market who would be great fits in D.C.
However, there are also a few Japanese international stars set to be posted by their respective Nippon Professional Baseball teams who will draw the attention of just about every MLB team this winter. And after the Nationals made franchise history last offseason when they signed Shinnosuke Ogasawara, they should not be counted out for some of those names.
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One of the most intriguing players who is expected to be made available this winter is Tatsuya Imai, the 27-year-old right-handed pitcher from Japan who has been flat out dominant from 2021-25. This past season, he posted a 1.92 ERA and has not had north of a 3.00 mark since his 2021 campaign.
Because of that, Sam Sallick of Federal Baseball views Imai as his favorite potential target out of the Japanese internationals, believing the righty will be able to step in and have immediate success like some of the other Japanese pitchers who have come over in recent years.
“In the last few years, we have seen many Japanese arms have very smooth transitions. Guys like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga took to the MLB like ducks to water. Imai seems like he could be the next guy to do this. … He seems like one of those Japanese arms that is ready to go right from the rip,” Sallick wrote.
Who is this Japanese star pitcher that could be a top free agent this winter?@Jack_McMullen11 broke down the profile of Tatsuya Imai on the Just Baseball Show pic.twitter.com/1Aax90aTGf
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) September 10, 2025
There is a risk that is going to come with signing Imai. He’s 5-foot-11 and 154 pounds, which is massively undersized compared to other starting pitchers around Major League Baseball. However, he’s able to sit mid-90s with his fastball and can even reach the upper-90s, proving that his slight frame does not limit velocity.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) projected Imai to get a contract that’s for seven years and $154 million, which doesn’t include paying the posting fee to his NPB team, the Saitama Seibu Lions.
Because of that, it’s hard to believe the Nationals are going to be involved in bringing Imai to the nation’s capital. But with Toboni at the helm, who was with the Boston Red Sox when they signed Hirokazu Sawamura and Masataka Yoshida out of Japan, the overseas market could be a place he adds players from this winter.
AloJapan.com