Japanese superstar Tatsuya Imai gives shock reason why he WON'T join Dodgers: 'I'd rather take them down'

Major League Baseball's next Japanese import may not be a shoo-in for Dodger Stadium after all.

Asked by legendary Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka about joining the two-time defending World Series champions, 27-year-old right-handed hurler Tatsuya Imai sounded more interested in beating countrymen Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaski and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

'Of course, I'd enjoy playing alongside Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Sasaki,' Imai told Matsuzaka on the show, Hodo Station, according to MLB.com's translation. '[B]ut winning against a team like that and becoming a world champion would be the most valuable thing in my life.

'If anything, I'd rather take them down.'

Imai is entering MLB's posting system and will be available to teams to sign as a free agent from Wednesday through January 2.

He joins power-hitting corner infielder Munetaka Murakami, whose 45-day window to sign expires December 22, as well as infielder Kazuma Okamoto and pitcher Kona Takahashi, who can also sign through January 2.

Imai went 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA this season with the Pacific League's Seibu Lions. He struck out 178 batters in 163 2/3 innings. He's 58-45 with a 3.15 ERA in eight seasons with Seibu, with 907 strikeouts in 963 2/3 innings. He is a three-time All-Star.

The Kanuma, Tochigi native pitched eight innings of a combined no-hitter against Fukuoka on April 18. He struck out 17 against Yokohama on June 17, breaking Daisuke Matsuzaka's previous team record of 16 from 2004.

Under MLB's posting agreement with Nippon Professional Baseball, the posting fee would be 20 percent of the first $25 million of a major league contract, including earned bonuses and options. The percentage drops to 17.5 percent of the next $25 million and 15 percent of any amount over $50 million. There would be a supplemental fee of 15 percent of any earned bonuses, salary escalators and exercised options.

Tatsuya Imai wears Seibu Lions' jersey during a news conference in Tokorozawa, Saitama prefecture, Japan, on December 9, 2016.

Okamoto, 29, hit .327 with 15 homers and 49 RBIs in 69 games this year for the Central League's Yomiuri Giants. He injured his left elbow while trying to catch a throw at first base on May 6 when he collided with the Hanshin Tigers' Takumu Nakano, an injury that sidelined Okamoto until Aug. 16.

A six-time All-Star, Okamoto has a .277 average with 248 homers and 717 RBIs in 11 Japanese big league seasons, leading the Central League in home runs in 2020, 2021 and 2023. He homered off Colorado's Kyle Freeland to help Japan beat the U.S. 3-2 in the 2023 World Baseball Classic final.

Takahashi, a right-hander who turns 29 on February 3, was 8-9 with a 3.04 ERA this year for the Pacific League's Seibu Lions, striking out 88 and walking 41 in 148 innings. he had gone 0-11 with a 3.87 ERA in 2024 after compiling a 22-16 record in the prior two seasons.

Takahashi is 73-77 with a 3.39 ERA in 11 seasons with the Lions.

It's anyone's guess if any of the new Japanese imports will join the Dodgers, who are already eying a third straight crown.

'Losing isn´t an option,' Yamamoto, the World Series MVP, said in English as Dodgers fans celebrated their seven-game win over the Toronto Blue Jays. 'To my teammates, my coaches, amazing staff and all the fans, we did it together. I love the Dodgers. I love Los Angeles.'

Sasaki could prove to be even better than Yamamoto. Despite battling injuries and sitting for several months, the 24-year-old returned as the team's closer in October to steady the Dodgers' shaky bullpen.