It has long been true that the Atlanta Braves have essentially been a non-factor when it comes to players coming to MLB from Japan. In addition to the organization's questionable handling (at best) of Kenshin Kawakami years ago, the Braves have a basic geography problem, as many Japanese players strongly prefer to play for teams on the west coast. However, not being on the west coast is not a dealbreaker for ALL players, and the Braves have to be wishing that they closed the deal with one Japanese arm they did seemingly pursue.
Tatsuya Imai was widely considered to be one of the best starters available this past offseason. While not a sure thing given the lower level of competition in the NPB, Imai seemed to possess the quality and diversity of pitches to be a very solid MLB pitcher with a chance to be more than that.
Surprisingly, the Braves were actually involved in Imai's market, and they are probably wishing they had pushed a bit harder for him now, given their current rotation situation.
Tatsuya Imai is the one who got away from the Braves, and boy, does it sting right now
While the general hesitance around the league about Imai was understandable, the early results seem to point to him being a key piece of the Astros' rotation. The sample size so far is just three innings in spring training, but Imai's pitches and performance have passed the eye test in those short stints, and the Astros have been raving about his work ethic and ability to manipulate his pitches.
Meanwhile, the Braves can't seem to go long without having another pitcher go down with an injury. In addition to Grant Holmes and Reynaldo Lopez having health questions coming into camp, both Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep had elbow surgeries shortly after starting spring training. If that wasn't enough, the Braves also just lost Joey Wentz to a torn ACL as another blow to their rotation depth.
Had the Braves known that these new injuries would arise, it is possible that they would have made a stronger offer to Imai last offseason, and they would be in significantly better shape than they are right now. Instead, Atlanta is waiting in the wind and hoping that no one else gets hurt and that there is a quick resolution to Jurickson Profar's appeal, so they can gain some financial clarity. Making matters worse, Imai's three-year deal with the Astros seems extremely reasonable comparable to some of the free agent deals we have seen in recent years.
Potentially more than that, though, is that the Braves missed a prime opportunity to become an actual destination for top Japanese talent, which could have paid huge dividends in the years to come. There are no guarantees in baseball, especially when you are talking about player preferences. However, adding a player like Imai would get a lot of attention and certainly wouldn't have hurt their chances in the short and long-term.