Why did the Dodgers and Yankees not pursue Tatsuya Imai? U.S. media reveals the considerations behind these "top teams' hesitation."

At the start of 2026, the Houston Astros secured a significant addition by agreeing to a three-year, $54 million deal with Seibu Lions' star pitcher Tatsuya Imai. The 27-year-old top Japanese right-hander not only became the highest-paid Japanese pitcher in MLB on an annual basis after Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Masahiro Tanaka, but was also praised by agent Scott Boras as an “immediate impact player” comparable in skill to Yamamoto. Imai ultimately declined longer-term offers from other teams and accepted the Astros’ lucrative short-term contract, which includes incentives and opt-out clauses—if he pitches 100 innings in 2026, his salary for the following two years will increase to $21 million annually, with a maximum contract value of $63 million over three years.

According to MLB’s official analysis, Tatsuya Imai posted “monster-level” stats in 2025 in Nippon Professional Baseball: a 10-5 record, a 1.92 ERA, and 178 strikeouts over 163.2 innings. His standout weapon is a fastball approaching 100 mph, combined with a sharp slider that induces a 46% whiff rate, and a recently developed changeup. With Astros’ ace left-hander Framber Valdez expected to depart, Imai’s arrival fills a rotation gap alongside Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Lance McCullers Jr.

Notably, traditional market powerhouses like the Dodgers, Yankees, and Mets did not actively participate in this bidding war for the Japanese pitcher. U.S. media analysis points out that the Dodgers and Yankees already have full starting rotations and are unwilling to spend heavily on starters; meanwhile, the Mets, under President David Stearns, remain cautious about offering long-term deals to pitchers and internally assess that Imai lacks elite talent, leading them to withdraw. In contrast, the Chicago Cubs were the most aggressive bidders but ultimately lost out to the Astros, forcing them to shift their focus toward free-agent starters like Ranger Suárez or Zac Gallen.

The last Japanese pitcher to play for the Astros was Yusei Kikuchi, who joined via a midseason trade in 2024. Given Imai’s dominance in NPB, Astros fans are eager to see if he can replicate Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s success in Major League Baseball.