“Aren’t many concrete options on the table” - Tatsuya Imai gets brutally honest on contract talks citing Munetaka Murakami’s $34M deal

All set to move to the major leagues after enjoying plenty of success in the NPB, Tatsuya Imai was expected to be one of the most sought-after starting pitchers on the market this offseason.

While plenty of teams have reportedly been keeping tabs on Imai, no offers have appeared to materialize. Having been posted on Nov. 19, the ace has until 2 P.M. PT on Friday to finalize terms with a franchise. If he remains unsigned, he will no longer be eligible to move to the big leagues this year.

Making an appearance on popular Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi’s “Udo Times” program, Tatsuya Imai spoke about the uncertainty surrounding his future.

"Apparently, there actually aren’t many concrete options on the table yet," Imai said. "It seems that having teams show interest and receiving a formal offer are completely different things."

Tatsuya Imai in action for the Saitama Seibu Lions - Source: Getty

Further, Imai used Masataka Yoshida and Munetaka Murakami as examples, to explain how unpredictable the process of securing a big league contract can be for players coming over from Japan.

"With Masataka Yoshida, it seems the Red Sox didn’t even come to Japan to see him, and the deal was wrapped up in a single day,” Imai added. “And with [Munetaka] Murakami, not a single person predicted how it would turn out. The media doesn’t really know. What I actually see for myself, what I think and feel, that becomes the truth for me. That’s the only thing I rely on."

Murakami, another NPB star posted this winter, found himself in a similar situation to Imai.

Initially expected to be a hot commodity, teams seemed hesitant to take a chance on the slugger. He ultimately ended up signing a two-year, $34 million contract to join the Chicago White Sox only one day before his negotiation period expired.

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Former big leaguer urges the Chicago Cubs to sign Tatsuya Imai

Speaking to MLB Network Radio on Friday, former big leaguer Chris Gimenez explained why the Chicago Cubs should look to sign Tatsuya Imai.

"Starting pitching seems to me to be that place that they (Cubs) should be looking very heavily in," Gimenez said. "They've got some really interesting bullpen pieces. Their bullpen was actually a lot better than a lot of us wanted to give it credit for. Should they be in on (Tatsuya) Imai? Yes. Should they be in on some of these other free agents that are currently still out there? Yes, absolutely, they should be. "Because they need to continue to find depth in this rotation. We've seen injuries hamper them, which it pretty much did this playoff run as well. Injuries were the ultimate reason they ended up losing to the Milwaukee Brewers. If they have everybody healthy, I think they have a chance to beat the Brewers."

Projections claim signing Tatsuya Imai will cost around $135 milliom.

Edited by Raghav Mehta