Tatsuya Imai is being urged to sign with contenders determined to take down the Dodgers—yet Los Angeles appears unfazed and eager to respond.NL

When Tatsuya Imai boldly declared that he would rather take down the Los Angeles Dodgers than team up with Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki, it raised eyebrows around the MLB world.

A three-time All-Star in NPB, Imai is one of the top pitchers to be posted since Yoshinobu Yamamoto, with the potential to immediately enter an MLB rotation as a top-3 arm.

But which teams should Imai consider joining in order to accomplish his goal? Well, in the opinion of MLB Insider Jon Morosi, there are three obvious options for the NPB star to consider based on geography and World Series potential. 

“What Imai has given us here, Lauren, is the boldness to be different and the boldness to create a new rivalry. So, you think about this. If I’m Tatsuya Imai and I want to find a way to challenge the Dodgers, basically, Lauren, I would say he wants to sign with one of three teams,” Morosi explained.

“The Blue Jays, the team that nearly defeated the Dodgers in the World Series, or the Dodgers’ closest geographic divisional rivals, Giants Padres. There you go, Tatsuya. One of those three teams, and you will fulfill this bold new identity as the man who is here now to oppose the Dodgers and find a way to end their reign atop the Major League.

“So, that’s what I’ve got right now. Jays, Padres, Giants. If you want to make a statement and have a new arrival to Major League Baseball, Tatsuya Imai will be a Padre, a Giant, or a Blue Jay.”

Now granted, of the three teams Morosi named, only one plays in the American League, with the Padres and Giants both sharing the National League West alongside the Dodgers. Teams like the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners are also solid World Series bets that have experience with Japanese players on their roster, and a few other teams could make massive offers to improve their pitching staff with a top-tier international option. And yet, if Imai does sign with the Blue Jays, Padres, or Giants, it has the potential to create even more hype and a stronger rivalry, so in the end, any option Morosi suggested has the potential to be exciting for baseball fans in America, Japan, and beyond.