Tatsuya Imai is staying put in Houston, at least for now.
The Astros right-hander will not exercise his opt-out, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, keeping him under contract after a rocky first season in MLB. Imai signed a three-year, $54 million deal with Houston in January that could climb to $63 million with innings-based incentives. The contract included player opt-out chances after the 2026 and 2027 seasons, and Thursday’s decision leaves him headed into 2027 with an $18 million base salary and one more opt-out still on the table after next season.
Given how this year went, the move hardly comes as a shock. Imai posted a 4.93 ERA in 23 games, including 15 starts, with a 1.42 WHIP over 76.2 innings.
There were stretches when he looked capable of settling in, but they were mixed with enough rough outings to keep the questions coming. He also would not have found a similar contract elsewhere, and after arriving from Japan this year, another quick jump to a new team likely would have made the transition even tougher.
His season started with turbulence. Imai was in the rotation for about the first four months, then moved to the bullpen as the inconsistency kept showing up. Even there, he was hardly a regular presence down the stretch, logging just 18 innings since August and mostly appearing when the game was already decided.
The adaptation to the American game was part of the story from the beginning. Imai spoke publicly about the culture change, and after he lasted only 0.1 innings at Seattle in April while giving up three earned runs, he went on the 15-day injured list with right-arm fatigue. He came back in late May and gradually improved, but command problems kept surfacing, especially in the first inning.
Still, there were flashes of what Houston hoped it was buying. Imai was part of the Astros’ combined no-hitter against the Texas Rangers in May after throwing six shutout innings.
The stuff is clearly there, with an outstanding slider and a full mix of pitches. The real question is whether he can sharpen it enough at the MLB level to turn talent into steadier results.
If Imai had reached 100 innings this season, he would have picked up $3 million in incentives, and the base salary for 2027 and 2028 would have been $21 million apiece. As things stand, if he remains on the contract, he’ll make $36 million over the next two years.
Houston still has to figure out what role makes the most sense for him next season, and that matters because starting pitching remains a need.
The Astros also made another roster decision Thursday, declining Ryan Weiss’ $5 million club option, according to Jesse Rodgers of ESPN. Weiss will receive a $500K buyout and become a free agent after a disappointing season in Houston.
The club signed him after a couple of successful years in South Korea, but the experiment never got traction. Weiss finished with a 7.62 ERA in 26 innings and spent most of his time at Triple-A Sugar Land.
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