Whenever any high-profile Japanese player is ready to come over to MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers immediately come up as a potential landing spot.
Now granted, this reputation is earned, as the team has a history of treating Japanese players well, has a giant fanbase on the archipelago, and currently employs three of the best NPB alumni in the world today in Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki. For players coming to a new country with a monster schedule and few people who speak their language, having that level of support around them is almost certainly an attractive part of any negotiation.
And yet, in the opinion of pitching ace Tatsuya Imai, who is expected to come over in 2026, the Dodgers aren't everything. No, the former Saitama Seibu Lions actually wants to make it his goal to take down the Dodgers in 2026, as it would prove his next team truly is in elite company.
“Of course, I’d enjoy playing alongside Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Sasaki, but winning against a team like that and becoming a World Champion would be the most valuable thing in my life,” Imai told Daisuke Matsuzaka via MLB.com. “If anything, I'd rather take them down.”
Making his NPB debut in 2017, Imai has been one of the better pitchers in the league, earning three All-Star appearances in 2021, 2024, and 2025 before being posted to MLB. While the 27-year-old could still technically land in Los Angeles, as until he signs elsewhere, Imai could theoretically end up anywhere, it sure sounds like he might be looking for an American League contender like the New York Yankees or the Toronto Blue Jays, who are among the most likely clubs to face off against the Dodgers in the World Series in 2026.
