Imai would rather take down Dodgers than join them in free agency

Japanese free-agent pitcher Tatsuya Imai would rather be a part of a team that beats the Los Angeles Dodgers than join countrymen Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki as a member of the reigning World Series champions.

"Of course, I'd enjoy playing alongside Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Sasaki," Imai told Daisuke Matsuzaka on "Hodo Station," according to MLB.com's Michael Clair, "but 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 mentioned wanting to experience the majors differently than some of his Japanese peers as a reason not to join the Dodgers.

"If there were another Japanese player on the same team, I could just ask them about anything, right?" Imai said. "But that's actually not what I'm looking for. In a way, I want to experience that sense of survival. When I come face-to-face with cultural differences, I want to see how I can overcome them on my own. That's part of what I'm excited about."

The 27-year-old, who has until Jan. 2 to sign an agreement after being posted by the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League, said he also wants the challenge of trying to strike out the four-time MVP Ohtani.

"I really want to see how much my fastball holds up against him - to test myself by throwing it to him," Imai said.

Imai is highly coveted this offseason following a tremendous 2025 campaign in which he authored a 1.92 ERA and 0.89 WHIP with 178 strikeouts in 162 2/3 innings.