In the next 11 days, the Tatsuya Imai sweepstakes will come to a close. Facing a Jan. 2 deadline to sign with an MLB team, the Japanese right-hander is expected to meet with interested organizations in the closing days of December before making his decision.
The Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees have been the two teams most often connected with Imai, with reports seeming to contradict one another multiple times each week. A new leak suggests Imai may prefer to play for a team on the coast, rather than a Midwest club like the Cubs - something we've seen before with players making the jump from overseas.