The Mets are interested in Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai, according to Andy Martino of SNY. Imai has not been officially posted yet, but his team, the Saitama Seibu Lions of NPB, recently announced that they intend to do so. Martino notes that the Mets’ level of interest is not the same as it was for Yoshinobu Yamamoto last offseason, implying that Imai is simply one of several arms the club is looking into.
Imai, 27, has pitched for the Lions for eight years and is a three-time NPB All-Star.