The Houston Astros are turning their attention overseas to plug the hole in their rotation.
Per Jesse Rogers and Jeff Passan at ESPN, right-hander Tatsuya Imai has agreed to a three-year contract with the Astros. Rogers and Passan add that the deal does include opt-outs, and while the financials are not official, the AAV is said to be over what Yoshinobu Yamamoto earned from the Los Angeles Dodgers (~$27 million AAV per Spotrac).
Imai was one of the top pitchers in free agency this offseason after spending eight seasons with the Seibu Lions in NPB. Across 159 outings, Imai authored a 3.53 ERA and a 1.267 WHIP across 963 2/3 innings, striking out opponents at an 8.5 K/9 clip.
Star Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai and the Houston Astros are in agreement on a free agent contract, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 1, 2026
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The right-hander turns 28 later this year and is coming off one of his best seasons in 2025, tossing a 1.92 ERA across 163 2/3 innings. He ranked second with his 178 strikeouts and produced a top 27.8% strikeout rate.
While the walks have been one of his weaker points over his career, he found a new level in 2025, walking just 45 batters (2.5 BB/9), which is miles ahead of his career 4.4 BB/9 mark. Imai boasts a mid-90s fastball and a slider that is considered a wipeout pitch for his punchouts.
For the Astros, the club is getting another arm into the mix that will join Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Mike Burrows. The club lost Framber Valdez to free agency this winter and is betting on Imai to come in and fill the gap left by the southpaw.
Multiple teams were interested in Imai, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, and New York Yankees. Because of the posting system, the Astros will owe additional fees to the Lions as compensation for signing Imai.
PRESENTED BY 6IX INNING STRETCH PODCAST
Love baseball? Don’t miss The 6ix Inning Stretch — the brand new podcast from The Nation Network, presented by Betway. Hosted by Toronto sports reporter Lindsay Dunn and 3-time MLB All-Star Whit Merrifield, this weekly show delivers insider stories, unfiltered Jays talk, player interviews, and expert analysis from around the majors. New episodes drop every Wednesday — listen on your favourite podcast platform or watch on the Bluejaysnation YouTube channel.