Nobody is in hot pursuit of ideal NY Mets free agent target Tatsuya Imai

Tatsuya Imai has days before he needs to sign. His 45-day posting window is closing and apparently no one has made him an offer. Just when you thought the New York Mets were the only team resting during the holidays, there’s this.

Imai is just about perfect for the Mets and what they’re trying to accomplish. He comes with no qualifying offer penalty so the Mets don’t lose any draft picks. He’s young enough to justify a lengthy contract and given how Munetaka Murakami ended up with only a two-year deal, he might even be a candidate to sign short-term.

Everything about Imai seems ideal for the Mets right now. And yet they, and the rest of MLB, is waiting until the clock gets closer to midnight.

David Stearns has been aggressive in the past with free agent starters in the past, what’s different now?

If Imai was truly on the Mets radar as the coveted prize of the offseason, this is the signal to make him an offer sooner than later. Perhaps they just don’t want to go down that road and are hoping for a trade to improve the rotation. Whatever the plan is, it’s strange to see one of the assumed best free agent starters not get an offer with January 2 (this Friday!) as the final day to get a deal.

Based on the way Murakami’s market played out, it wouldn’t come as a shock to see Imai settle for less than originally anticipated. Teams’ hesitation to make a large commitment to Murakami can certainly trickle down to any unknowns with Imai.

The Mets made a massive offer to Yoshinobu Yamamoto two years ago worth over $300 million. They’re not opposed to going that extra mile when it makes sense.

Imai isn’t going to break the number of piggybanks it took to land Yamamoto, but at 27, he has age on his side. Just because he hasn’t received a deal yet doesn’t guarantee the price has dropped large enough. The same reasons why he’d be a great match for the Mets apply to other places. Now is the time to show him you’re interested.

This MLB offseason has played out much differently than the last two. David Stearns aggressively went after Luis Severino in 2023 and last winter had already nabbed Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes before the midway point of December.