Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai signing $63M deal with Astros in MLB free agency stunner
NY Post
The top Japanese starter is off the market.
Tatsuya Imai is signing with the Astros, according to The Post’s Jon Heyman.
It’s a three-year deal with opt-out clauses after each season, and the contract has a base value of $54 million that can reach $63 million based on innings pitched, Heyman reported.
Imai, 27, will earn $18 million per season with an opportunity for $3 million more each campaign based on 80, 90 and 100 innings pitched, according to Heyman.
The Yankees were among the teams to have expressed interest in the righty fireballer, and Imai signed one day before his 45-day window to land a deal with an MLB team expired Friday.
Imai is the third high-profile Japanese starter to come to MLB in as many years, joining Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2023 offseason) and Roki Sasaki (2024).
