Astros may have sneakily foreshadowed their push into Japan with Tatsuya Imai

When the Houston Astros introduced Tatsuya Imai on Monday, owner Jim Crane revealed an unlikely source was crucial to the team's efforts to land the 27-year-old starting pitcher from Japan. The chief marketing officer of Daikin, Takayuki "Taka" Inoue, was in attendance and was credited by Crane for helping the Astros land Imai.

The Astros sold the naming rights to Daikin last offseason as part of a 15-year deal, and a tidbit that was likely overlooked at the time was that the company is a Japanese conglomerate. In fact, Inoue took part in a ceremonial first pitch at the newly named Daikin Park last season.

The Houston Astros' recruitment of Tatsuya Imai wasn't just due to his stalling market.

The initial perception of Imai's creative three-year deal with the Astros is that Houston took advantage of his fading market. There certainly is some truth to that fact, considering that had the right-hander been viewed by most teams as a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher, Houston wouldn't have been able to afford him.

Even then, it was a surprise that the Astros were the team Imai picked. The Chicago Cubs were among the teams that had a strong interest in Imai, and one report suggested that the Cubs were under the impression they had a deal in place. Instead, Scott Boras took the Cubs' offer to Houston, and the Astros were able to top it.

The Astros' deal featuring opt-outs after each year was likely a key selling point, but the connection to Daikin may have been the final push that worked in the Astros' favor. Imai's free agency certainly didn't have the fanfare that Yoshinobu Yamamoto's had before he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but his signing does mark a continuation of a new effort for Houston.

Between their partnership with Daikin and increasing their scouting presence, it's clear that Houston is aware of the recent trend of free agency.

Whether it's been Imai, Yamamoto, Kazuma Okamoto, Munetaka Murakami, Shota Imanaga, and Seiya Suzuki, a streamline has been created between players making the jump from the NPB to MLB. The Astros are now in a position to take advantage, and it is one of the most encouraging trends for the organization moving forward.