The SF Giants took plenty of heat for parts of their offseason, but their decision to pass on Tatsuya Imai looks like one of the smarter calls they made.
Imai drew a lot of attention in the winter, with the Giants among the teams connected to the right-handed starter. But once Scott Boras floated an asking price believed to be over $100 million, San Francisco backed away and never seriously re-entered the chase. That hesitation now looks justified.
The Houston Astros ended up winning the bidding war and gave Imai a three-year, $54 million contract that includes an opt-out after each season. The structure was designed to give Imai a shot at returning to free agency if he put together a strong year.
That scenario does not appear likely now. His 2026 season has gone sideways, with a 5.83 ERA in 15 appearances for Houston, and Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported that he has been moved to the bullpen.
There were already questions about how high Imai’s ceiling really was. Some teams viewed him as more of a reliever than a starter, and the Giants were among the clubs that did not see enough value at the price being asked. In the end, their internal evaluation lined up with the market.
That matters because San Francisco’s offseason was shaky in other spots. The Giants lost Spencer Miles to the Toronto Blue Jays in the Rule 5 draft, and Miles is now putting together a strong rookie season that could eventually lead to him being stretched out as a starter.
Their own additions have been a mixed bag, too. Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser joined the rotation, but Houser has since been shifted to the bullpen, while the Giants are hoping to move Mahle before the trade deadline.
The position-player side has not been much steadier. Harrison Bader and Luis Arráez were added to the field group, but Bader’s time in San Francisco is likely done after new details surfaced about a scooter incident that worsened his left foot injury. Arráez has been the one clear success from that group, though it is now close to a certainty that the Giants will trade the veteran infielder before the deadline.
So while the Giants have had plenty of misses this offseason, their decision to walk away from Imai stands out as one of the few times they read the market correctly.
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