Padres fans can't help getting hopes up again after Tatsuya Imai hints

It never takes much, does it? Drop one Japanese ace’s name into the San Diego Padres rumor mill and the fanbase that swore it was going to be “more guarded this winter” is suddenly back to dreaming. Tatsuya Imai isn’t just another international name on a transaction wire — he’s the latest test of whether A.J. Preller can thread the needle between tightening payroll and still chasing upside big enough to matter in the NL West.

And the hints aren’t subtle. This isn’t one anonymous scout whispering at a winter meetings bar. Imai’s name has been popping up across X from multiple reporters and fans tracking the international market, and the dots aren’t hard to connect. You’ve got a front office that has never been shy about flying across the Pacific for talent, a beloved Japanese veteran already on the roster, and a rotation that could badly use another high-end arm under control beyond a one-year Band-Aid.

Tatsuya Imai buzz has Padres fans dreaming big on rotation help again

By now, the interest is more than just speculation. Reports out of the GM Meetings have framed the Padres as one of the clubs “courting” Imai, with some going as far as labeling them “one of the leaders” for his services. A.J. Preller has already made his pilgrimage to Japan to see Imai in person, and — true to form — hasn’t exactly played coy about it in front of microphones..

The pitch, of course, practically sells itself in San Diego’s clubhouse. Yu Darvish (though injured) is still here, still respected, and still a walking résumé for what a successful transition from NPB to MLB can look like when the fit is right. Having a fellow countryman established in the clubhouse isn’t a small thing. It helps with the cultural transition, the 162-game marathon, and the inevitable hot-take storm that greets every outing.

Strip away the romance for a second, though, and the baseball reasons are just as loud. The Padres need pitching. Imai checks a lot of boxes on paper: a 27-year-old right-hander whose fastball has been clocked up to 99 mph, with legitimate secondary stuff and, crucially, improved command in recent seasons.

That’s where the comps come in. Imai is being posted by the Saitama Seibu Lions this winter, and early chatter has naturally dragged Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s name into the conversation — because that’s what we do now with any NPB star linked to a big-market team. In reality, evaluators seem to see him more in the Tiers 2 and 3 of the recent Japanese import wave: think Kodai Senga or Shota Imanaga more than Yamamoto. A potential No. 2 or No. 3 starter with a chance to occasionally pitch like a No. 1 when everything is synced up. Not bad company for a team that could use exactly that profile.

And then there’s the timing. The Lions will officially post Imai on November 19, 2025, which will flip the clock on a bidding window where interested teams have to put their best version of “we’re serious” on the table. If the Padres are truly “one of the leaders” as some on X claim, they’ll have to prove it against deep-pocketed clubs that need rotation help just as badly — if not more — than San Diego does.