The strange offseason sweepstakes for Tatsuya Imai has finally come to a close, as the Japanese right-hander is joining the Astros on a three-year contract, per multiple reports.
According to The Athletic’s Chandler Rome, the deal maxes out at $63 million with yearly opt-outs.
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With a salary of $18 million that can reach $21 million, based on innings logged, Imai is receiving the third-highest AAV of any Japanese-born pitcher.
Imai’s window for a major league contract was closing fast. His deadline to officially sign with a club was Jan. 2, and The Athletic reported earlier this week that the 27-year-old was still taking meetings with interested suitors.
Conversations between the Mets and Imai were never serious, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Not surprising news, as SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino noted earlier this winter that a “full-tilt pursuit” for the former Nippon League star wasn’t anticipated.
This was also the case for the Mets with Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto — who currently owns the record AAV mark for a Japanese arm — two offseasons ago.
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There wasn’t much noise from the Mets’ crosstown rival, either. Jack Curry of YES mentioned last week that the Yankees weren’t expected to sign Imai, who happened to be outspoken about his desire to beat the reigning champion Dodgers.
Imai was terrific in 24 starts for the Seibu Lions this past season, registering a sharp 1.92 ERA and 0.89 WHIP across 163.2 innings. He also allowed only 101 hits and struck out 178, producing a strikeout rate of 9.8 per nine.
In eight NPB seasons, Imai logged a 3.15 ERA and 1.26 WHIP, but his last four years on the mound grabbed MLB’s attention. With an above-average four-pitch mix that includes a fastball sitting in the mid-90s, he posted ERAs of 2.04, 2.45, 2.34, and 1.92, respectively.
