Japanese right-handed starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai has signed with the Houston Astros, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN, who was the first to break the news. The deal is for three years, with opt-outs after each season, and an AAV of $18 million, per Jon Heyman. Fifty-four million dollars is guaranteed, with escalators/player bonuses that could bring the deal to 21 million a year, making it 63 million dollars total for three seasons if he earns such bonuses, which is based upon innings pitched, according to Jon Heyman.
Jon Heyman Via Twitter
Shorter Term Deal For Houston
This is a good deal for the Astros, given that Imai was projected to command a contract north of 200 million dollars at one point, but the final number was much lower than initially perceived in the industry. Imai is also in the prime of his career at just 27 years old.
Imai was one of the top starting pitchers available on this year’s free agency market, and was considered the best international pitcher available, alongside other Japanese players such as 1B/DH Munetaka Murakami, who signed with the Chicago White Sox in December, and 3B/1B Kazuma Okamoto, who has yet to sign with an MLB team.
The Astros weren’t a team mentioned like others during Imai’s free agency, such as the Phillies, Cubs, White Sox, Mets, and Yankees.
Imai posted a 1.92 ERA with a 10-5 record and 178 strikeouts in 163.2 innings pitched for the Seibu Lions in 2025. In 8 seasons with the Lions, Imai compiled a 3.15 ERA with 907 strikeouts in 962.2 innings pitched and was a three-time All-Star.
Imai throws a fastball that can reach upwards of 99 mph. He also has a change-up, splitter, slider, and curveball. His slider is widely viewed as his best offspeed pitch, with a 46 percent swing-and-miss rate. He’s even adopted new pitches, such as a splitter and a “vulcan change-up,” which can be characterized as a change-up with a “wider grip,” but when released, looks more like a sinker, which he reportedly learned from one of his Lions teammates this past season.
Imai’s fastball usage, plus velocity and movement, on top of his size, standing at 5’11 175lbs, has led to major league comps with pitchers such as Joe Ryan of the Minnesota Twins and Luis Castillo of the Seattle Mariners, both pitchers with plus fastballs but a more petite physical build than other big league pitchers.
Imai will join an Astros team that finished second in the AL West in 2025, winning 87 games, but missed the postseason for the first time since 2016. He’ll become a member of a Houston rotation led by Hunter Brown, alongside Christian Javier, Spencer Arrighetti, and Lance McCullers.
Astros Lack Of Starting Pitching
The Astros needed starting pitching depth after dealing with Lance McCullers’ injury history and the impending free agency of starting pitcher Framber Valdez, who many view as unlikely to re-sign with the team.
It’s being reported that this is also the third-largest deal for a Japanese pitcher to come to the United States by AAV (average annual value), behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who signed with the Dodgers during the 2023 MLB offseason and has an AAV of slightly over 27 million per year, along with Masahiro Tanaka, who signed with the Yankees in 2014, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN and Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
Mark Feinsand Via Twitter
The Astros’ landing one of the top starting pitchers on the market ultimately makes them a more relevant and competitive team in 2026, both in their own division and against the rest of the American League.
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