Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai has agreed to a three-year, $54 million deal with the Astros, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. The club hasn't confirmed the move yet. Imai, a three-time All-Star in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), is set to join the Astros as a free agent after his club, the Saitama Seibu Lions, posted him on November 19, opening a 45-day window for MLB teams to negotiate. Imai's impressive performance in NPB, including an ERA under three and more than a strikeout per inning in the past three seasons, has earned him a spot as an ace-level pitcher. The 2025 season was arguably his best, with a 10-5 record, a career-best 1.92 ERA, and 178 strikeouts in 163 2/3 innings, including a combined no-hitter for the Lions. Imai's success continued in 2024, where he went 10-8 with a 2.34 ERA, setting career highs with 187 strikeouts and 173 1/3 innings pitched. Overall, in his eight seasons with the Lions, Imai has a 58-45 record, a 3.15 ERA, and 907 strikeouts in 963 2/3 innings. Since 2023, his ERA has dropped to 2.18, and he's averaged 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Imai's pitching repertoire includes a four-seam fastball averaging 94.9 mph, a slider with an 86.2 mph average and a 46% swing-and-miss rate, and a changeup that averaged 85.5 mph with a 41% swing-and-miss rate. He also throws a splitter and curveball, and introduced a new 'Vulcan' changeup in 2025. Imai's talent has been compared to Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and his agent, Scott Boras, noted the growing star power of NPB pitchers in MLB. With his impressive skills and potential, Imai is expected to make a significant impact in the Astros' lineup.
