"Don't discount Yusei Kikuchi's 2 months here" - Astros insider outlines factors sealing Tatsuya Imai deal

Tatsuya Imai signed a three-year, $54 million contract with the Houston Astros, which could escalate to $63 million with bonuses, on Thursday. The Astros beat out several big-market contenders after Imai's market shrank ahead of his posting deadline.

Represented by Scott Boras, Imai was initially expected to receive offers around the $150 million mark. He was coming off a 1.92 ERA season in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Instead, Imai has opt-outs attached to his contract after each year.

According to Chandler Rome on the Crush City Territory podcast on Thursday, Imai's decision to pick Houston as his destination could have stemmed from fellow Japanese pitcher Yusei Kikuchi's two-month spell with the club in 2024.

"While they maybe haven't had the footprint from an NPB perspective of signing those guys or being legitimate contenders for them, Scott Boras got an up-close and personal look at what the Astros' pitching development infrastructure can do with a Japanese pitcher who has at least some of the same profile as Imai," Rome said. (21:30)

Kikuchi was traded to the Astros from the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline in 2024. Having started the year with a 4-9 record with a 4.75 ERA, Kikuchi bounced back to form, recording 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA in the back half of the season. That helped him secure a three-year, $63,675,000 contract with the Los Angeles Agels.

"At the end of the day, this all comes down to money. 99% of the time, these negotiations come down to money, who has the best offer, and all that stuff. But don't discount Kikuchi's two months here," Rome added. "I think that left a resonating presence with Scott Boras and a lot of people in the industry."

MLB podcaster makes Shohei Ohtani connection to Tatsuya Imai signing with Astros

According to Rome and co-host Tyler Stafford on the show on Thursday, Shohei Ohtani's matchups against the Houston Astros as part of the Los Angeles Angels roster in the past could have tied into Imai's decision.

"I've covered a few Astros games when Ohtani was with the Angels. Anytime Ohtani is playing somewhere, there is a humongous Japanese media contingency. In those first couple of years when he came over, they were live broadcasting all of his games back in Japan," Stafford said. (25:20) "The Angels were playing the Astros 18 games a year, and people in Japan saw the Astros dominate for years while Ohtani was the biggest thing in Japanese baseball. That certainly could have something to do with it as well—they’ve seen that this team is obviously very good."

While their divisional rivals struggled, the Astros reached seven straight American League Championship Series from 2017 to 2023. Their playoff streak was broken in 2025. They would hope Imai can push them back into contention.

Edited by R. Nikhil Parshy