A recent report from MLB.com's Mark Feinsand stated that the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs are the front-runners for international right-handed pitcher Tatsuya Imai and the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets are still connected to him.

Imai has until Jan. 2 to sign with an MLB team, and the Red Sox should use all the tools in their arsenal to make sure that they get Imai, or at the very least the Yankees don't.

On the surface, putting chips in for an unproven pitcher from NPB doesn't seem like a great bet for Boston, especially if a reason is so New York doesn't get him. But the Red Sox are currently lagging behind their rivals in the AL East and can't afford to lose out on another potential marquee free agent.

The Baltimore Orioles, despite missing the playoffs in 2025, are already much-improved. Baltimore has signed first baseman Pete Alonso and closer Ryan Helsley to multi-year deals and acquired starting pitcher Shane Baz from the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Toronto Blue Jays have added to their starting rotation via signings of Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce and bolstered their bullpen by signing Tyler Rogers. The Blue Jays are also rumored to be the front-runners to land Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette.

Imai would also cover a major hole on the roster for Boston.

The Red Sox only have three experienced starting pitchers on the roster for 2026 (Sonny Gray, Bryan Bello, Garrett Crochet). Tanner Houck is expected to miss most if not all of 2026 recovering from Tommy John surgery.

That leaves the last two spots on the starting rotation to Payton Tolle and Connelly Early. The latter of the two looked very impressive after he made his major league debut in September but still has less than 10 starts under his belt. Tolle appeared in seven games and started three.

Landing Imai would led the Red Sox take care of a position of need and would prevent their arch rivals from pulling further ahead of them.

Win-win situation for Boston, and that's why it should be focused on the former Saitama Seibu Lion.