Should Houston Astros Have Pursued Japanese Star Pitcher?
With the financial restrictions the Houston Astros have placed on themselves this offseason, it’s no surprise they weren’t in the running for the high-profile names that were on the market.
Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery and the plethora of others were designated as way too expensive for the Astros to bring in.
They’ve addressed some of their roster needs by signing backup catcher Victor Caratini and trading for bullpen piece Dylan Coleman, however, with three relievers departing and some questions about their starting rotation, they could potentially still use more players.
After the shockingly low contract Japanese star pitcher, Shota Imanaga, signed with the Chicago Cubs was revealed, Eric Cole of Climbing Tal’s Hill thinks Houston should have been more aggressive in their pursuit of the left-hander.
“There have been plenty of opportunities that the Astros have let pass by. One of the more egregious ones happened just last night … What is clear is that he is apparently signing for way less than what many thought he would and at terms that the Astros should have absolutely jumped all over,” he writes.
The financial details were reported by Jim Bowden of The Athletic with him saying the deal starts at two years for $30 million, but can become four years and $60 million with the ability to reach $80 million.
He states it’s a very complicated contract with multiple opt-outs, team options, club options and escalators.
What is known is the Average Annual Value starts at $15 million per year, something way cheaper than what was previously predicted.
At that number, the Astros might have been able to make things work financially. General manager, Dana Brown, has said they’ll do moves for the right player.
It’s likely they didn’t view Imanaga as someone they’d be willing to spend for, but after a season where their starting pitching was spotty and they needed to make a deal for 40-year-old Justin Verlander at the trade deadline, getting a 30-year-old productive arm for cheap seems like something they at least would have pursued.
