ESPN insider says Astros signing Tatsuya Imai comes with unavoidable major future gamble

Hunter Cookston

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ESPN insider says Astros signing Tatsuya Imai comes with unavoidable major future gamble image

One of the biggest names left on the free-agent market was Japanese starter Tatsuya Imai. As of Wednesday, he had just two days remaining before his signing window would close. With time ticking down, reports surfaced that the Atlanta Braves had entered the conversation for the highly coveted pitcher.

“If Imai is to sign with a major league team, it's going to be sometime in the next 48 hours. The deadline to sign players from the NPB is Friday at 5 p.m. If the Braves are interested, there is going to have to been some movement with haste. Should they sign Imai, it would break a long-standing hesitance from the Braves to sign players from Japan,” SI’s Harrison Smajovits wrote.

On Thursday, the Houston Astros were able to finalize a deal with Imai before his posting window closed.

“Imai's deal with the Astros is for three years and includes opt outs after each season. The AAV of the deal will be the second-largest for any Japanese pitcher behind only Yoshinobu Yamamoto, whose AAV is just over $27 million. Jesse Rogers was on the length of the contract,” MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand wrote.

While landing Imai is a win for the Astros, the opt-outs give him the flexibility to leave the contract at multiple points. If Imai performs at an elite level, this could turn into a short stay in Houston before he lands the massive contract he was seeking this offseason.

“There are doubts among some teams about whether Imai will succeed in MLB, so his contract — with the opt-outs — is effectively a bet on himself. If he has a strong year in ‘26, he could hit the open market again after the next CBA is resolved, when teams are typically more aggressive,” ESPN’s Buster Olney wrote.

For the 2026 season, signing Imai will likely prove to be a smart move for the Astros. Many teams were hesitant to commit before seeing him prove himself at the MLB level. However, if he does exactly that, high-market clubs could be lining up to pursue him as early as next winter.

For now, Astros fans have every reason to be excited about the season ahead. Still, there is a real possibility that Houston serves as a temporary stop for Imai as he positions himself for a much larger deal in the near future.

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