Major League Baseball has a new Japanese superstar after right-hand pitcher Tatsuya Imai agreed a huge free agent contract with the Houston Astros.
Imai’s destination has been the talk of the league in recent weeks, with the 27-year-old publicly announcing his intention to avoid the Los Angeles Dodgers, before he was linked heavily with the New York Yankees.
Instead, he lands in Houston and will receive a three-year contract that guarantees him $54 million and could be worth up to $63m.
The deal, which was first reported by New York Post columnist Jon Heyman, includes opt-outs in every year of the three in the contract.
It was also revealed that neither the big-spending Mets or the Yankees were seriously involved in discussions for the player, with the Chicago Cubs among the teams bidding before the Astros won out.
Imai had until 5pm on January 2 to agree a deal with a Major League Baseball team, having previously enjoyed a standout season for the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball.
Tatsuya Imai has decided to join the Houston Astros and has agreed a $63 million contract
He recorded a 10-5 record with a 1.92 ERA and 178 strikeouts, and has been compared with Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Baseball agent Scott Boras previously said of Imai: ‘Certainly, he’s done everything Yamamoto’s done.’
The Astros’ decision to sign the superstar pitcher will also be lucrative for his Japanese team, with Seibu Lions eligible for a 20% payment for the first $25 million, 17.5% for the next $25 million and an additional 15% on every dollar above $50 million.
Imai was recently asked by legendary Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka about joining the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers, to which he sounded more interested in beating countrymen Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaski and Yamamoto.
Imai wears a Seibu Lions jersey during a news conference in Tokorozawa, Saitama in 2016
‘Of course, I’d enjoy playing alongside Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Sasaki,’ Imai told Matsuzaka on the show, Hodo Station, according to MLB.com’s translation.
‘But winning against a team like that and becoming a world champion would be the most valuable thing in my life. If anything, I’d rather take them down.’
Last season, Houston finished with a 87–75 record, only good enough for second place in the AL West behind the Seattle Mariners.
That meant they missed the postseason for the first time since 2016, ending the second longest streak in the major leagues.
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Japan’s next baseball superstar Tatsuya Imai decides his MLB team and agrees blockbuster $63 million contract
AloJapan.com