Tatsuya Imai chose to remain with the Astros rather than test free agency after a difficult first major-league season, keeping his guaranteed $18 million salary for 2027 and another chance to earn a place in Houston’s rotation.
The right-hander will earn an $18 million base salary in 2027 and retain another opportunity to opt out following the season. His decision removes one uncertainty from Houston’s offseason, but it leaves the Astros with a much larger question: Can they turn Imai back into a dependable starting pitcher?
A Difficult First Season in Houston
Imai arrived from Japan last winter as the Astros’ most prominent offseason addition and a potential replacement for Framber Valdez in the rotation. His first major-league season fell well short of those expectations.
The 28-year-old appeared in 23 games, including 15 starts, and finished 6–4 with a 4.93 ERA and 1.42 WHIP over 76⅔ innings. He struck out 97 batters but issued 51 walks, producing the highest walk rate among major-league pitchers who worked at least 70 innings.
Imai’s season was interrupted after three starts by arm fatigue that sidelined him for approximately a month. When healthy, he struggled to provide consistent length. Five of his starts lasted at least 5⅔ innings with no more than two runs allowed, but he failed to finish the third inning in five others.
His best performance came against the Texas Rangers, when he threw the first six innings of the only no-hitter in the majors this season. That outing illustrated the swing-and-miss ability that made Imai an intriguing addition, but Houston rarely saw that version of him consistently.
Move to the Bullpen Produced Better Results
The Astros removed Imai from the rotation in late July as his starts became increasingly difficult to manage. He posted a 5.83 ERA as a starter before recording a 2.00 ERA over 18 innings out of the bullpen.
That improvement requires some context. Imai worked primarily in low-leverage situations during the final two months and did not establish himself in a defined relief role. Houston used him sparingly, reflecting how far confidence in him had fallen during the season.
His ability to miss bats remained encouraging. Imai produced a 28.7% strikeout rate and allowed only 58 hits over 76⅔ innings. The larger problem was his 15.1% walk rate, which repeatedly elevated his pitch counts and prevented him from working deep into games.
Imai also acknowledged the difficulty of adjusting to the baseball used in the major leagues, unfamiliar mound conditions, different routines, and the demands of his first season in the United States.
Astros Have $18 Million Reasons to Try Again
Imai’s return was not unexpected. Entering free agency after a 4.93 ERA and an uncertain finish in the bullpen would have made it difficult for him to secure a better deal than the guaranteed $18 million awaiting him in Houston.
For the Astros, that salary makes another attempt to establish Imai as a starter the logical course. Paying $18 million for an undefined, low-leverage relief role would be difficult to justify, particularly for a team that still needs to add pitching depth elsewhere.
Hunter Brown, Peter Lambert, and Hayden Wesneski finished the season as Houston’s three most reliable starters. Cristian Javier, Ronel Blanco, Mike Burrows, Ethan Pecko, and organizational Pitcher of the Year Bryce Mayer are among the other internal possibilities, but each comes with questions involving health, experience, or recent performance.
The Astros used a franchise-record 19 starting pitchers in 2026. Their rotation finished near the bottom of the majors in both ERA and innings, and none of the five potential starters acquired last offseason remained in the rotation at the end of the year.
Imai’s return provides another option, but it does not solve that problem by itself.
A Second Chance With Significant Stakes
Imai’s contract includes performance bonuses for reaching 80, 90, and 100 innings that went unearned in 2026 and will carry forward into next season. He will have another opportunity to increase his earnings if he can remain healthy and reclaim a rotation spot.
He will also face another decision after the 2027 season. A successful rebound could allow him to exercise his second opt-out and return to the market with substantially greater value. Another uneven year could leave him in Houston for the final season of the contract.
Before any of that can happen, the Astros must determine how to address the command problems that undermined Imai’s debut. His strikeout ability and flashes of dominance suggest there is still a major-league starter to develop. His walk rate, limited workload, and eventual removal from the rotation demonstrate how much work remains.
Imai is returning. Whether he returns as the pitcher Houston thought it signed will be one of the defining questions of the Astros’ 2027 season.
