MLB executive poll lists SF Giants as likeliest landing spot for NPB star pitcher

On Wednesday, Jesse Rogers ESPN released a poll done by MLB executives about their predictions for this offseason. In a poll of 16 executives, the SF Giants were voted as the likeliest landing spot for star NPB pitcher Tatsuya Imai. They received five votes.

MLB executive poll lists SF Giants as likeliest landing spot for NPB star pitcher

There have been plenty of rumors connecting the Giants to Imai so far this offseason. However, those were done by MLB insiders who are speculating on potential landing spots for players. This leads to a large pool of teams connected to any player.

While there is often substance to those rumors and predictions, it is an entirely different channel when MLB executives make predictions. Those people are well connected with the inner workings of each team, so they have a feel for how a team plans to operate and check off their offseason needs.

Rogers referenced one executive who conveyed that the Giants have been in the NPB market in the past, and that pairing Imai with Logan Webb makes sense. Of course, one of their more recent ventures into that market was a recruitment effort for Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

While there were a lot of rumors connecting the Giants to Yamamoto leading up to his posting window, he eventually chose to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers on a 12-year, $325 million deal. Will Imai follow Yamamoto to the Dodgers?

The 27-year-old pitcher relayed that his preference would be to take down a team like the Dodgers. With that being said, he is represented by Scott Boras, and it just would not make a ton of sense to fully shut the door on a team like the Dodgers. They can still be leveraged in contract talks.

One team that may no longer be involved in Imai's market is the Toronto Blue Jays. On Wednesday evening, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that they have agreed to a seven-year, $210 million pact with Dylan Cease. That deal is pending a physical.

Imai was officially posted by the Saitama Seibu Lions on November 18, beginning his 45-day negotiating window. That window runs through January 2, 2026.

The veteran pitcher is coming off a strong year with the Lions, where he pitched to a 1.92 ERA in 24 outings. This year marked the third straight season that he made at least 20 starts and surpassed 150 innings.