Astros sign Japanese pitcher Imai to 3-year deal
Tatsuya Imai is coming to Major League Baseball.
The Japanese right-hander agreed to a three-year deal with the Houston Astros, the team announced Friday.
Imai's deal includes opt-outs after the 2026 and 2027 campaigns.
The 27-year-old's contract is worth a maximum of $63 million and starts at $18 million per year with the opportunity to rise to $21 million based on innings pitched, a source told The Athletic's Chandler Rome.
His pact is similar in annual average value to the two-year, $34-million deal his countryman Munetaka Murakami signed with the Chicago White Sox on Dec. 21. Imai's deal has the third-highest AAV for any Japanese pitcher behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Masahiro Tanaka, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.
Imai was one of the top starting pitchers available in free agency after posting a 1.92 ERA and 9.8 K/9 in 163 2/3 innings for Japan's Seibu Lions last season. He spent the past eight campaigns with the Lions, authoring a 3.15 ERA and 1.27 WHIP.
The 5-foot-11 hurler features a mid-90s fastball that tops out at 99 mph, which he pairs with a slider and a deceptive changeup/splitter combo.
The Astros were on the hunt for pitching at the top of their rotation after Framber Valdez become a free agent. Imai will join a group of Astros starters that's expected to include Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, Lance McCullers Jr., and Mike Burrows.
Imai reportedly also drew interest from the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, and New York Yankees this winter.
The Astros designated right-hander Kaleb Ort for assignment to create space on the 40-man roster for Imai.