The Phillies have made no secret of their desire to land the organization’s first Japanese-born star, but as of yet that hasn’t come to pass. The club made a significant offer to generational right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto two years ago and was heavily linked to Tatsuya Imai, the latest Japanese ace to come stateside, before he signed with the Houston Astros. Many fans were dejected to hear that Imai wouldn’t don Phillies’ pinstripes in 2026, but his unique contract and the subtraction of a beleaguered Phillies starting pitcher could lead to another pursuit next winter.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has made a habit of splashy free agent additions during his tenure with the Phillies, and a few of them have been bigtime misses. Nick Castellanos is the most glaring error on Dombrowski’s record, but not far behind is righty Taijuan Walker, who inked a four-year, $72 million pact ahead of the 2023 campaign.
The former All-Star was passable in his first season in Philadelphia, but completely cratered in 2024, and was used as a swingman in 2025. Overall, the 33-year-old has worked to an ugly 4.88 ERA across 380 innings as a Phillie. Thankfully, Walker is entering the last year of his contract, and Dombrowski will be thrilled to get his $18 million salary off the books for 2027.
Taijuan Walker's exodus could be perfect time for Phillies to make another run at Tatsuya Imai
There’s no telling what the Phillies’ rotation will look like heading into 2027, as Zack Wheeler is recovering from surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome, Aaron Nola had a career-worst year in 2025, Jesús Luzardo will have reached free agency (if he’s not signed to an extension by that point), and top prospect Andrew Painter struggled mightily in his first taste of Triple-A last season. Case in point: the Phillies could use some more certainty in their rotation moving forward.
This all points back to Imai, who just signed a three-year, $54 million deal with the Astros. While at first glance his contract spans three years, it contains opt out clauses after the first and second seasons which allow the 27-year-old to void the remainder of his contract and reenter the free agent market if he so chooses.
There’s a very good chance that Imai has a great rookie season in Space City and cashes in with a much more lucrative pact after he's proven to teams that he’s the real deal.
This scenario could play out perfectly for the Phillies, as the team will have a shade under $60 million coming off the payroll after the 2026 season. The disastrous Castellanos and Walker contracts will finally reach their expiration, and lower-paid players Luzardo, Alec Bohm, Edmundo Sosa, José Alvarado and Adolis García will come off the books as well. With plenty of breathing room freed up, the Phillies would be in prime position to make another run at Imai.
If the starting rotation remains a bit murky and Dombrowski is unable to extend Luzardo, adding a topflight starter becomes imperative next winter. Imai has bet on himself with his uniquely structured contract with the Astros, and the Phillies could be the ones to write his next big check. For a team that needs more starting pitching and is desperate to break into the Japanese market, the situation couldn’t be more perfect.