How Yankees Let Tatsuya Imai Slip Away

Losing out on Japanese pitcher Tatsuya Imai is a miss New York Yankees fans won't be getting over anytime soon.

As more details begin to be revealed about his contract and decision, it's clear the Yankees front office wasn't offering the three-time NPB All-Star anywhere near what he wanted.

Still hung up on contract talks with Cody Bellinger, it's yet another miss for the Yankees this offseason. Somehow, they let the Houston Astros sign Imai even though they previously had been nowhere near in consideration as much as the Yankees.

At the end of the day, Mark Feinsand revealed some of the contract details that went into Imai's decision. Looking at the numbers in his deal with the 2022 World Series Champions, it's a bit of a no brainer why he went with them over the Yankees.

Imai Signed His Perfect Deal

Imai had longer-term deals with lower AAVs on the table, per source, though he chose to go to Houston on the shorter-term, higher-AAV deal with opt outs.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 1, 2026

From what is known at this time, Imai wanted a high AAV and a deal that will favor him both short and long term. Should he immediately find success with the Astros and they win another World Series, he doesn't have to worry about signing elsewhere.

Should year one not go according to plan, Imai has a way out. The three-year deal he signed includes opt-outs after every season, a rarity in contracts nowadays. Clearly, the Astros were willing to do whatever it took to land the flamethrowing righty and they didn't care if he only winds up on the team for a year.

Brian Cashman is under fire once again for the way he's handling these deals in the offseason. Somehow, Imai slipped away and Bellinger is nowhere near returning to the squad. It's been a disaster, to say the least, and that all falls on this team's front office.

Yankees Couldn't Meet Asking Price

Imai Contract: $18M a year with $3M in PB at 80ip/90ip/100ip total $21M a year possible. $54M guarantee, $63M possible #astros
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 1, 2026

Had the Yankees swallowed their pride and put together a contract that benefits the player over the team, they would've had no issue signing Imai. Knowing full-well he wanted a higher AAV and short-term deal, they somehow still managed to fumble this signing.

Imai is set to earn a maximum of $63 million during his time in Houston. Only Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed a deal with a larger AAV for a Japanese-born pitcher.

While Imai doesn't have any experience pitching in the MLB, that doesn't mean he won't be successful. The Yankees can eye his decision with these opt-outs, and could go after him again in a year or two. That said, it doesn't sting any less to this fan-base that they once again failed to make a move with the 2026 season rapidly approaching.

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