“White Sox trying to be the Temu Dodgers” - Fans react as Chicago emerges as strong contender for Tatsuya Imai amid quiet offseason market

Tatsuya Imai's 45-day posting period expires on Friday, Jan. 2. The Japanese starter has been publicly linked to many contender teams, but the Chicago White Sox have emerged as the dark horses in his sweepstakes.

The White Sox swooped in at the last minute and signed fellow Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami to a two-year, $34 million contract. Murakami's market thinned ahead of the deadline because teams were overly concerned with his high strikeout rates and adaptability to the MLB gameplay.

A similar case isn't likely to play out with Imai's negotiations. Despite Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) going through a deadball era, Imai emerged as a top starter, going 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA in 2025.

According to Yahoo Sports Japan in a report on Dec. 30, the White Sox have shown interest and will be among the teams that will meet up with Imai during final round of in-person meetings this week.

Fans on social media expressed their excitement at the possibility of the White Sox getting another cheap Japanese buy.

Here are a few reactions on X:

"White Sox trying to be the Temu Dodgers. At least they're trying something," a fan said. "Translation: He has no market and has to sign with somebody," a fan wrote. "He’s signing with the white Sox to take down the Dodgers," a fan referred to Imai's previous comments about LA. "Heard the White Sox threw a huge number at him but he didn't realize it was in Pesos," a fan joked. "If all the top Japanese players just signed with the white Sox would be pretty cool," a fan stated. "Good luck taking down the Dodgers," a fan added.

White Sox ruled out as contenders for Tatsuya Imai by MLB insider

With plenty of big market clubs in the mix, the White Sox are unlikely to sign a second marquee Japanese signing in Tatusya Imai, according to insider Mark Feinsand, as reported by MLB website's Brian Murphy in an article on Dec. 30.

"A report from Yahoo Japan indicated the White Sox were emerging as contenders for Imai, though Feinsand reported that Chicago is a longshot to ink the righty."

The teams in running include the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, the Chicago Cubs, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Baltimore Orioles with an outside chance against the big-market clubs.

Edited by R. Nikhil Parshy