The Boston Red Sox were apart of arguably the most competitive division in the major leagues this past season.

The Red Sox were one of three teams to represent the American League East in this past postseason. Despite putting up a competitive showing, Boston fell to its arch rivals, the New York Yankees, in Game 3 of a Wild Card series. The Yankees were eventually eliminated by fellow AL East does the Toronto Blue Jays, who came just one run shy of being World Series champions.

Going into this offseason, there was pressure on the team to make adjustments to stay competitive in the gauntlet that is the AL East.

MORE RED SOX STORIES:

Boston Red Sox Hit with Modest Financial Penalty

One major question surrounding Boston Red Sox roster

Red Sox miss out on another FA target as Michael King stays in San Diego

That pressure has only been exacerbated with recent moves from the Baltimore Orioles, which have included signing first baseman Pete Alonso and closer Ryan Helsley and adding starting pitcher Shane Baz in a three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and Pittsburgh Pirates.

According to a recent report, Boston is also trailing behind New York for one of the most intriguing players on the open market.

According to a report from MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, the Yankees and Chicago Cubs are currently the favorites to land right-handed starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai, who was posted this offseason by Saitama Seibu Lions of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.

Feinsand also said in his report that "other teams," including the Red Sox and New York Mets, are also connected to him.

In eight seasons with the Lions, Imai posted a stellar 3.15 ERA and a 58-45 record with 907 strikeouts in 963.2 innings pitched across 159 starts.

Imai is coming off his best season as a professional. In 2025, he had a 1.92 ERA and fanned 178 batters in 163.2 innings pitched across 24 starts.

Imai's fastball averages in the mid-90 mph range and has touched 99 mph in the past. He balances that with a mid-80s slider and changeup.

Imai was a three-time NPB All-Star (2021, 2024-25) and took part in a combined no-hitter April 18.

Boston has already added to the starting rotation this offseason and acquired Sonny Gray in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals. The trade came at the expense of another starting pitcher, Richard Fitts, who was sent to the Cardinals in the trade.

 Currently, the Red Sox's starting rotation lines up as follows: AL Cy Young finalist Garrett Crochet, Bryan Bello, Gray and Tanner Houck (who's expected to miss most of 2026 recovering from Tommy John surgery). Payton Tolle, a former second-round pick out of Texas, made his major league debut in 2025 and appeared in seven games and started three. Tolle and left-hander Connelly Early, who also made his major league debut in '25, could also factor in the starting rotation.

Looking at the team's rotation, there's still questions on at least two spots in the rotation and the introduction of Imai would provide some coverage for a club in desperate need of it.

Imai has until Jan. 2 to come to terms with an MLB team, or he'll return to Japan.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION:

Remember to join our RED SOX on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Red Sox fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!