The Japanese market presented itself this offseason after three prominent names came over to join MLB clubs. Slugging infielder Munetaka Murakami, right-hander Tatsuya Imai, and utility player Kazuma Okamoto all signed, but none of them ended up with the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Phillies have been fighting to get into the Japanese market but have failed to land a single player over the last few seasons.
Imai was the one who was rumored to be possibly linked to the Phillies. It aligned with their desire for rotational depth with Ranger Suárez walking in free agency. But the Phillies were never seriously in the running before Imai inevitably signed with the Houston Astros on a three-year, $54 million contract.
The Astros came out of nowhere to snag Imai, but it also sounds like the Phillies' familiar foe has really set themselves up for continued success in the Japanese market.
Astros become serious players to challenge Phillies for Japanese talent
The Phillies played the Astros in the 2022 World Series. It was the closest the Phillies have been to a championship in 17 years but fell short in six games. There are some unresolved feelings with any World Series loss, but now Houston is getting in the way of the Phillies signing at the international level.
After landing Imai, Astros' owner Jim Crane spoke about his team's ability to sign Japanese talent, per MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
“The Dodgers kind of led the way there, and I've got an international company, so it was pretty easy to set up there and give those guys a place to work. … We'll be moving pretty fast in Asia,” Crane said, per McTaggart.
Crane on signing Japanese players: "The Dodgers kind of led the way there and I've got an international company, so it was pretty easy to set up there and give those guys a place work. ... We'll be moving pretty fast in Asia."
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) January 5, 2026
Finding motivation to make your club better can be easy, but Crane took it much further after an apparent visit to Japan after the stadium naming rights deal went through with Daikin Park. According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, Crane met with the ownership group and found inspiration that led to him immediately beefing up scouting throughout Asia (subscription required). Crane's new motivation could seriously compete with other established MLB clubhouses.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the gold standard when it comes to reeling in international stars. They have arguably the best player in MLB history in Shohei Ohtani and had back-to-back offseasons in which they landed Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.
Whatever their magic is in getting Japanese players to Los Angeles, they've now provided the Astros with a recipe of their own. Imai landing in Houston could possibly lead to other players in the future. The Phillies could really benefit from increasing their reach to avoid yet another empty-handed offseason.
The Phillies will eventually be able to spend internationally. They've explored the market and have spoken about how serious they are in competing in that market. Something will eventually fall their way, but it won't get any easier with the Astros as serious competitors. They could always sign Imai after he spends time in Houston, but the rest of the market is up to them.