The New York Mets are standing on the precipice of a roster overhaul that requires a level of ruthlessness this front office hasn’t shown in years.
While the headlines are dominated by outfield pursuits, the real drama is unfolding on the mound, where President of Baseball Operations David Stearns has a unique opportunity to upgrade the rotation by effectively swapping one Japanese star for another.
The Mets might be trying to offload Kodai Senga and his contract, and it isn’t just about shedding salary; it is about clearing the deck to allocate the money and the roster spot to free agent Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai.
Tatsuya Imai Demands a Unique Roster Construction
The connection between Senga’s departure and Imai’s arrival is more than just financial. It is cultural. Imai has made it clear that he wants to join a team that doesn’t have any Japanese players on it. The Mets currently have one in Senga, which creates an immediate roadblock. Clearing that spot and opening up a path for Imai to take over makes a ton of sense from a recruitment standpoint.
This aligns perfectly with Will Sammon’s report from The Athletic on Sunday, which indicated that the Mets are still trying to move Senga despite the pitcher signaling a desire to stay. You have to respect Senga’s loyalty, but the Mets need to be cold and calculated here.
Imai is coming off a monster 2025 campaign where he posted a 1.92 ERA and fanned 178 batters over 163.2 innings in the NPB. He offers the kind of high-ceiling dominance that Senga, with his diminishing velocity, might no longer possess.
Navigating a Thin Pitching Market After Dylan Cease Deal
The pressure to make this specific move is amplified by the state of the open market. The Mets are in the market for a big-time pitcher and need reinforcements badly, but the shelf is getting bare. We watched Dylan Cease sign a massive $210 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays last week, taking the top arm off the board.
Sure, a trade for Detroit Tigers ace Tariq Skubal would obviously be unbelievable—the guy put up a 2.21 ERA and 241 strikeouts last season—but the trade capital required would gut the farm system. The free agent reality is much starker. The top remaining agents now include Michael King and Zac Gallen, and both come with question marks. King managed a 3.44 ERA last season but only threw 73.1 innings. Gallen was a workhorse with 192 innings but struggled to a 4.83 ERA. Neither offers the fresh, untapped upside that Imai brings to the table.
New York Yankees Loom as the Biggest Threat
If the Mets hesitate to move Senga, they will likely watch their crosstown rivals reap the rewards. Imai could be a low-key option for the Mets given his upside and their desire to spend some money at the position, but they aren’t the only ones watching the wire.
Their biggest competitors might ultimately be the New York Yankees, who are currently the favorites to sign the Japanese star. The Yankees have the prestige, the payroll, and seemingly the roster vacancy Imai covets. If the Mets want to win this bidding war, they cannot let a roster redundancy be the reason they lose out on a potential ace. Stearns needs to make the hard call on Senga now, or he risks watching Imai dominate in pinstripes for the next decade.
The window to upgrade is narrow, and in this city, hesitation is the only unforgivable sin.
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