Overview
- Multiple outlets including MLB.com, ESPN and the AP report an agreement, though the Astros have not announced it.
- The pact guarantees $54 million with performance escalators lifting the value to $63 million and includes opt-outs after each season.
- The Associated Press reports Seibu will receive a posting fee of about $9.675 million plus 15% of any earned bonuses or salary escalators.
- The deal comes as Imai’s 45-day posting window nears its deadline of Friday at 5 p.m. EST under the MLB–NPB agreement.
- Imai, 27, posted a 1.92 ERA with 178 strikeouts in 163 2/3 innings in 2025 for Seibu, with an AAV that ranks among the highest for a Japanese pitcher, per reports.