New Astros starter Tatsuya Imai delivering a pitch while in Japan. (Image courtesy of Saitama Seibu Lions)
The Houston Astros have agreed to a three-year, $54 million contract with Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
The deal includes up to $3 million in incentives if Imai reaches 100 innings pitched in 2026. If he does, his base salary increases to $21 million in both 2027 and 2028. Imai also holds opt-out clauses after each season.
While Imai reportedly had longer-term offers on the table at lower average annual values, he chose Houston’s shorter, higher-AAV deal with flexibility. His negotiating window with MLB clubs was set to expire Friday at 5 p.m. ET; had no deal been reached, he would have returned to Japan.
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Imai is coming off a stellar 2024 campaign with the Saitama Seibu Lions, posting a 1.92 ERA across 163 2/3 innings. He struck out 178 batters, walked 45, and allowed just six home runs.
Over the past three seasons, Imai has logged 470 innings with a 2.18 ERA, firmly establishing himself as one of NPB’s most reliable front-line starters.
Imai becomes the third high-profile Japanese starter to come to MLB in as many years, following Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2023 offseason) and Roki Sasaki (2024).
His deal, however, falls well short of the massive commitment Yamamoto received from the Los Angeles Dodgers, who signed the right-hander to a 12-year, $325 million contract and rode him to back-to-back World Series titles.
Rather than joining Los Angeles, Imai made his competitive mindset clear this offseason.
“Of course, I’d enjoy playing alongside Shohei Ohtani, Yamamoto and Sasaki,” Imai said. “But winning against a team like that and becoming a World Champion would be the most valuable thing in my life.”
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With Imai in the fold, Houston effectively fills the void left by departing left-hander Framber Valdez, now a free agent.
Imai brings a deep and diverse arsenal, highlighted by a fastball that can touch 99 mph. His primary weapons are a four-seam fastball, slider, and changeup, supplemented by a splitter, Vulcan change, and curveball.
In 2025, his four-seamer averaged 94.9 mph—slightly above the MLB average for right-handed starters—while his slider averaged 86.2 mph and generated a 46% swing-and-miss rate.
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Houston now projects a rotation headlined by AL Cy Young finalist Hunter Brown and newly acquired right-hander Mike Burrows. Other arms in the mix include Spencer Arrighetti, Brandon Walter, Nate Pearson, Lance McCullers Jr., Cristian Javier, and Colton Gordon.
Imai ranked as the No. 20 overall free agent and the No. 8 starting pitcher on Ed Hand’s 2025 MLB Free Agent Tracker—making Houston’s aggressive, deadline-beating strike one of the more impactful pitching moves of the offseason.