Astros Owner Jim Crane Explains Stance on Luxury Tax After Tatsuya Imai Deal

By signing Tatsuya Imai, the Houston Astros pushed their payroll near the luxury tax. That led to questions for owner Jim Crane.

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The Houston Astros surprised many by signing Japanese pitcher Tatsuya Imai to a three-year deal that could be worth $54 million.

That’s if he stays with Houston all three years. After each offseason, Imai has the option to stay. He also has escalators in the contract for bonuses the first year. Houston made a concerted effort to make inroads into the Asian baseball market last year and it paid off with Imai. He’s already attended a Texans and Rockets game and ingratiated himself each time.

But it also led to questions about spending, questions that have always dogged the franchise. Imai’s contract puts their 2026 payroll close to the first apron of the competitive balance tax, something Houston has reportedly been seeking to avoid this offseason.

During a press conference to introduce Imai, the question came up and team owner Jim Crane fielded it, per The Athletic’s Chandler Rome on X (formerly Twitter).

Astros Owner Jim Crane on Luxury Tax

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The narrative around the Astros is that they are not willing to spend in free agency. The largest contract the team has handed out for a pitcher is the five-year, $95 million deal for closer Josh Hader. Houston has managed to keep some of their own players, but that’s usually before they hit free agency. Once they hit the market, they tend not to return.

Crane hears the noise and during Monday’s press conference he was asked about his position on the luxury tax and tried clarifying what people thing about his spending.

“The luxury tax is the luxury tax,” he said. “I feel like we made a luxury move, but we have the opportunity to maneuver that around. Everyone writes that I’m afraid of the luxury tax. I’m not necessarily afraid of it, but I run the team like a business and there’s only so much resources you can put into it without going deep in the hole. We don’t operate like a lot of the bigger market teams, but you’ve seen over the years we’ll spend the money when we think it’s right and we’ll be aggressive when we have to be. The template has been there for a long time. Every [trade] deadline, we’ve made some pretty big moves.”

One of those big moves came at last year’s trade deadline when Houston re-acquired Carlos Correa in a trade with the Minnesota Twins. Correa is now the Astros’ third baseman and Houston is now responsible for the remainder of his six-year, $200 million contract, which comes with vesting options.

With Imai, the Astros now have nine players that will make $10 million or more in 20206. So, Crane is right — Houston is not spending-averse. The Astros just aren’t spending money like, say, the Toronto Blue Jays.