Posted on January 2, 2026, 5:09 pm

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Star Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai signed a three-year deal with the Houston Astros, the team announced on Friday.

The deal includes opt-outs after the 2026 and 2027 seasons, the Astros said.

Sources confirmed to ESPN's Jeff Passan that the deal has $54 million in guarantees and could be worth up to $63 million. The contract terms were first reported by MLB Network.

Imai, 27, entered the posting system as one of the more intriguing potential free agents of this winter due to his similarities to 2025 postseason standouts Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Trey Yesavage. Agent Scott Boras compared Imai to Yamamoto, the World Series MVP, during the MLB general managers meetings in November.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/47472235/tatsuya-imai-deal-astros-worth-60m-sources-say