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Tatsuya Imai signs with Astros

Discussion in 'Houston Astros' started by Rockets34Legend, Jan 1, 2026.

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  1. Rockets34Legend

    Rockets34Legend Member

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    #1 Rockets34Legend, Jan 1, 2026
    astros123, InTheGroove, ryan_98 and 9 others like this.
  2. zeeshan2

    zeeshan2 Member

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    #2 zeeshan2, Jan 1, 2026
    astros123, ryan_98, vince and 1 other person like this.
  3. htownrox1

    htownrox1 Member

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    Who ?
     
    #3 htownrox1, Jan 1, 2026
    macho GRANDE likes this.
  4. dholi_1

    dholi_1 Member

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    wow!
     
    #4 dholi_1, Jan 1, 2026
    astros123, vince, Uprising and 1 other person like this.
  5. BMoney

    BMoney Member

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    This is amazing!
     
    #5 BMoney, Jan 1, 2026
    Blatz, astros123, vince and 2 others like this.
  6. Htown Legend

    Htown Legend Member

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    The Daikin Effect
     
    #6 Htown Legend, Jan 1, 2026
    jayydela, 13 in 33, astros123 and 4 others like this.
  7. HeyBudLetsParty

    HeyBudLetsParty Member

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    Not gonna pretend like I know who he is but nice to see us get in on these Japanese players
     
    #7 HeyBudLetsParty, Jan 1, 2026
    astros123, macho GRANDE, bcast89 and 4 others like this.
  8. Rox_Mayhem

    Rox_Mayhem Member

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    Let’s go!!!
     
    #8 Rox_Mayhem, Jan 1, 2026
    vince and Uprising like this.
  9. Htown Stros

    Htown Stros Member

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    Definitely didn’t see this one coming. Smart move on his part though. If all goes well, he’ll end up getting paid by another team next season after using the Astros pitching staff to help maximize his success.
     
    #9 Htown Stros, Jan 1, 2026
    astros123, AznH-TownFan, vince and 6 others like this.
  10. CisBuds4U

    CisBuds4U Member

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    Sorry - out of the loop here /

    is he good ?
    Yes —> what is his potential ?
    What MLB pitcher can he be likened to?
    Opt outs? Sounds like he’ll be gone in a year if he’s good and will stick around if he sux o_O
     
    #10 CisBuds4U, Jan 1, 2026
  11. Snake Diggit

    Snake Diggit Member

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    $21M/yr for a guy they clearly think is going to be a ToR SP is a great deal. The opt outs add risk to balance it out. But if you trust the Astros pitching analysis this looks like a good signing.
     
    #11 Snake Diggit, Jan 1, 2026
    itzIce, 13 in 33, astros123 and 6 others like this.
  12. awc713

    awc713 Member

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    Interesting…

    don’t know anything about him.
     
    #12 awc713, Jan 1, 2026
  13. Htown Legend

    Htown Legend Member

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    He said he wants to beat the Dodgers, he joined the right org
     
    #13 Htown Legend, Jan 1, 2026
    itzIce, justinh, 13 in 33 and 22 others like this.
  14. awc713

    awc713 Member

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    what/who his comp?

    best case / worst case / median case
     
    #14 awc713, Jan 1, 2026
  15. Rvo384

    Rvo384 Member

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    He is absolutely filthy
     
    #15 Rvo384, Jan 1, 2026
    13 in 33, astros123, bcast89 and 4 others like this.
  16. Rvo384

    Rvo384 Member

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    #16 Rvo384, Jan 1, 2026
    astros123, ryan_98, vince and 2 others like this.
  17. juicystream

    juicystream Member

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    Our rotation could be special this year. Amazing work by Brown. No guarantee it pans out, but it's a good gamble.
     
    #17 juicystream, Jan 1, 2026
    13 in 33, astros123, Nook and 3 others like this.
  18. Castor27

    Castor27 Moderator
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    I’m here for it!!
     
    #18 Castor27, Jan 1, 2026
    astros123, raining threes, AkeemTheDreem86 and 10 others like this.
  19. whiskeyred

    whiskeyred Member

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    Let’s gooooooooo!!!
     
    #19 whiskeyred, Jan 1, 2026
    mikol13 and Uprising like this.
  20. Buck Turgidson

    Buck Turgidson Member

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    he's really good / he's really bad / he's okay

    from espn:

    Imai has made great progress with his command over the past few seasons, taking his walks per nine innings from 5.1 in 2022 to 2.5 in 2025. Imai isn't just a touch-and-feel type, with his fastball sitting between 93 and 97 mph and hitting 99 mph. Imai has also been effective even when his walk rates were higher, posting an ERA under 3.00 for the past four seasons in NPB.
    ...
    Imai's slider doesn't "slide," with arm-side movement rather than the typical glove-side movement. But he performed the pitch well in 2025, drawing better-than-average outcomes of a 45% miss rate and a .212 expected wOBA. Yesavage, the Toronto Blue Jays' rookie, has a slider with this unusual shape and relies on a splitter as his best off-speed pitch, which is also true of Imai.

    https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/47472235/tatsuya-imai-deal-astros-worth-60m-sources-say
     
    #20 Buck Turgidson, Jan 1, 2026
    13 in 33 and raining threes like this.
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