Cubs slugger gives scouting report on Tatsuya Imai from NPB stint

Set to make his much-anticipated move to the major leagues this winter, Tatsuya Imai is one of the most sought-after free agents on the market at the moment. The Chicago Cubs are reportedly one of the teams interested in bringing in the starter.

Speaking to MLB Network Radio on Tuesday, Cubs slugger Tyler Austin, who spent six seasons with the Yokohama DeNA Baystars of the NPB in the past, had his say on Imai's talent and ability.

"The stuff is there, the makeup is there," Austin said. "I've spoken to him a little bit. He is more focused then anybody I've seen on that side of the ball over there, if that makes sense. He's dialed into his craft. "Really good stuff. I'm excited to see how it plays out for him over here. I'm excited to see where he ends up, to be honest. I think he's got the chance to be special."

Further, Austin spoke about what he thinks is Tatsuya Imai's best pitch, his slider.

"Really good slider, different type of slider," Austin added. I actually struck out against him in one at-bat I have off him. When I came back into the dugout, I was like, 'Man, that's a digusting fork.' The analytics guy looks to me and goes, 'Hey, those were sliders.' Never seen one like it. We'll see if it translates over here or not, but it's pretty good."

---

"We've gotten some mixed signals on Tatsuya Imai" - Insider has his doubts over starting pitcher's potential acquisition

On Friday's episode of "North Side Territory," The Athletic's Craig Mooney expressed his doubts over Tatsuya Imai's role and fit with the Chicago Cubs.

"We've gotten some mixed signals on (Tatsuya) Imai," Mooney said (Timestamp: 11:06). I know it's alluring. The Cubs have a good track record in Japan. Japanese pitchers have had a ton of success coming over here. I just think there's sort of some uncertainty, a lack of clarity, around (whether) this guy's more of an ace, or is he more of a back-of-the-rotation starter? He's probably somewhere in the middle. "How do you price that? He's got age going for him. He's got velo that can touch the upper 90s. The Cubs have an infrastructure and a support system to help Japanese players succeed. So I get why they've been linked. I'm just curious, how is his market going to develop in terms of other suitors, and whether or not the Cubs feel like fully committed and convicted here, to make what could be a rather large investment."

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

Tatsuya Imai is projected to land an offer in the range of $135 million.

Edited by Raghav Mehta