Chaim Bloom may be running another organization halfway across the country, but his tenure as the Boston Red Sox’s chief baseball officer is still looming over the franchise. While some may look at his additions to the minor leagues, such as Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kristian Campbell, as positives, it was his handling of the major league roster that was ultimately his demise, and is still affecting the team now.
While original thoughts about the Red Sox's offseason were that they would look to acquire their No. 2 starter via trade, it seems that sentiment is shifting for some in the fan base. Coley Mick, one of the hosts of the popular Red Sox podcast "Section 10," said as such in the episode released on November 24 (conversation starts at 2:06:55). He believes the team will be trading for a bat while looking to resign Alex Bregman and sign a top starting pitcher (this belief may have changed after the Sonny Gray trade, but some optimistic fans hope more rotation upgrades are coming).
Tatsuya Imai is a Japanese starting pitcher who has been posted by the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). The 27-year-old is considered one of the top free agent pitchers this offseason and is likely to get a $100 million-plus contract.
Imai would have been someone the Sox considered if they turn to free agency for a pitcher, but that option seems unlikely now. In an interview with Japanese Media, the righty said he wants to sign with a team that doesn't currently have any Japanese players, adding he wants to experience the transition to the U.S. and all its hardships himself without any help from someone who’s already done it.
Top Japanese pitching free agent Tatsuya Imai says he does not want to sign with a team that already has Japanese players https://t.co/8JJLNhgsk7
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) November 24, 2025
Masataka Yoshida is affecting the Red Sox offseason once again
Of course, with Masataka Yoshida already on the roster, that would make the Red Sox ineligible to sign Imai under his standards. That would be very unfortunate for the Sox because the number of high-end starters available in free agency this winter is limited, and losing out on one without even the chance to sign him only makes things harder.
This is just another strike against Yoshida, and in turn Bloom, who is already on thin ice with Red Sox Nation. Masa’s presence on the roster has caused construction issues due to his lack of ability in the field and struggles at the plate. The $18 million per year owed to the lefty makes him hard to trade away and also hard to cut. That money has also provided luxury tax problems for the Sox, who, between 2022 and 2024, were operating under the tax.
This may be a hard pill to swallow for Red Sox fans, who may have hoped that Imai could make his MLB debut with Boston as other Japanese-born pitchers like Daisuke Matsuzaka, Junichi Tazawa, and Hideki Okajima. His comments about beating the Dodgers being a dream of his, especially with the Sox having World Series aspirations, only compounded the hurt.
Any Red Sox fan who wanted them to sign Imai is hoping Yoshida will be traded now more than ever, but likely aren’t holding their breath since they have been trying to trade him since last offseason. This is just another thing to add to the list of grudges Red Sox Nation will hold against Bloom.