Photo: Getty Images
Japanese pitcher Tatsuya Imai has reportedly agreed to a three-year contract with the Houston Astros, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ESPN's Jeff Passan and Jesse Rogers on Thursday (January 1).
"Star Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai and the Houston Astros are in agreement on a free agent contract, sources tell ESPN," Passan wrote on his X account.
Imai's contract will include an opt-out clause for every year of the deal and will be third-largest for a Japanese pitcher behind only Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 12-year, $325 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers signed in 2024 and Masahiro Tanaka's seven-year, $155 million deal to join the New York Yankees in 2014, according to Rogers.
"Tatsuya Imai's deal with Houston is for 3 years with opt outs every year, sources tell ESPN. When terms are announced, it'll be the largest AAV for a Japanese pitcher coming over outside of Yamamoto and Masahiro Tanaka in 2014," Rogers wrote on his X account.
Imai, 27, entered the posting system in November and his agent quickly compared him to Yamamoto, the 2025 World Series MVP, during the MLB general managers meetings.
"Certainly, he's done everything Yamamoto's done," Boras said via ESPN.
Imai went 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA and 178 strikeouts to 45 walks in 163.6 innings for the Seibu Lions of the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan, which included eight innings of a combined no-hitter against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in April, as well as recording 17 strikeouts against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in June, breaking eventual former MLB pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka's single-game Lions franchise record of 16 set in 2004.