Tatsuya Imai’s Astros Return Gives Mariners a Rebound Threat to Watch in 2027

Houston’s expensive headache could still become ours.

Sep 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Tatsuya Imai throws on the field before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

We can get a few jokes out of an $18 million pitcher losing his rotation spot with the Astros. It’s all part of the arrangement when Houston has a problem. That doesn’t mean the Mariners shouldn’t prepare for a tougher assignment.

Tatsuya Imai is staying with Houston, giving a pitcher with considerable swing-and-miss ability another season to figure out how to use it. There was enough trouble buried inside his ugly debut to make a rebound possible in the American League West.

Imai will decline to exercise his opt-out and return with two years and $36 million remaining on his contract. He will have another opportunity to opt out after 2027.

His first season makes the decision easy to understand. He posted a 4.93 ERA over 76 2/3 innings and found himself relegated to the bullpen. Houston paid for a starter and finished the year trying to find somewhere to put him. It’s an outcome Mariners fans can enjoy. We should also take a look at how he got there.

Tatsuya Imai Still Has the Stuff to Give Mariners Trouble

Imai struck out 28.7 percent of the hitters he faced in 2026. He walked 15.1 percent. His numbers explain the fascination and the frustration. He could finish an at-bat without giving a hitter much chance. Then, he could also hand the next guy a free pass.

For the Mariners, the strikeouts are nothing to sneeze at. A pitcher who can miss that many bats already has something to build around. Houston’s task is getting him into enough favorable counts to make that ability play consistently.

We shouldn’t wave away a walk rate that high as a minor adjustment waiting to happen. He walked the Mariners six times and hit two batters in just 4 1/3 innings across two starts in 2026. He earned his disappointing results, and another spring training won’t automatically fix his control.

But he has a path to becoming a more difficult opponent. More favorable counts would give him more opportunities to stack strikeouts. Even an incomplete improvement could make his outings considerably less comfortable.

The Mariners need to leave room for that possibility when evaluating the pitcher they’ll see next season. Last year’s ERA will be in his scouting. But it shouldn’t be the entire report.

Mariners Can’t Let Another AL West Opportunity Slip Away

The bigger concern for Seattle is how much can change while we’re waiting for the Mariners to finish building a complete team. Imai gives Houston another chance to turn an expensive disappointment into useful pitching. Maybe his control improves. Maybe it doesn’t. Seattle needs to build enough separation that its season doesn’t depend on which version of the Astros shows up.

With the AL West going through significant changes, the Mariners need to treat this winter as an opportunity with an expiration date. Uncertainty around the division creates room to move. It also gives rivals a chance to address their problems, find unexpected contributors, and become a tougher assignment next season.

Seattle has to make its own progress count. They need to announce their next manager. Add to the offense. Find more depth. And give this roster enough support to survive injuries.

A rival carrying an unresolved rotation question should give Seattle an opening to exploit through better roster construction. We shouldn’t reach the middle of next season still talking about the bat the Mariners almost acquired or the obvious hole they decided they could manage.

Imai doesn’t need to become an ace to have an impact. A more dependable season could help Houston cover innings and make its pitching staff harder to wear down. Across a division race, improvements like that accumulate. We should want the Mariners to make Houston chase them.