In an unexpected twist, Tatsuya Imai passed up the East and West Coast powerhouses altogether and shunned the “favored” Chicago Cubs to sign a three-year, $54 million contract with the Houston Astros. The 27-year-old ace from Japan also has incentives worth up to $9 million more plus multiple opt-outs, which allow him to test the market again if his transition to the States goes smoothly.
Houston was never really connected to Imai in the rumor mill, but in hindsight it’s a great fit. The astros needed rotation depth behind Hunter Brown have an established infrastructure for Japanese free agents after their dealings with Yusei Kikuchi.
Tatsuya Imai strengthens an accomplished Astros team
Last season was a profound disappointment for the Astros. It felt like the true end of a dynasty. But then again, much of their once-dominant core remains, and better health — with an improved rotation — could go a long way.
Between Imai and Mike Burrows, acquired as part of the three-team Brandon Lowe trade, Houston has successfully reinforced the back half of its starting staff. Meanwhile, Yordan Álvarez, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Isaac Paredes, Jeremy Peña and Christian Walker are all sticking around. Yainer Díaz, Cam Smith and others are strong candidates to take a leap forward. This Astros team could very swiftly return to the top of the division.
As such, it would behoove other teams in the AL West to respond with force. We know Seattle is a contender, but Texas and even the A’s are not far off either. The Angels can spend when they want to. This is a better division than we saw last season.
Here’s how each team can potentially one-up Houston’s surprising addition of Imai.
Los Angeles Angels: SP Joe Ryan
The Los Angeles Angels basically pulled a waive and stretch with Anthony Rendon’s contract, and yet it does not feel like Anaheim will actually reroute that money elsewhere. This roster remains stuck in an agonizing purgatory: Mike Trout is still good enough to lead a contender, and Zach Neto, Jo Adell and Nolan Schanuel are impact bats and winning players, but the back half of L.A.’s lineup is a mess — and their rotation isn’t much better.
You can point to any number of “needs” for this Angels team, but a genuine frontline ace would do a lot of good. Joe Ryan’s availability is murky at best, but if the Minnesota Twins opt to continue their teardown, it’s a golden opportunity for the Angels front office. Ryan made 30 starts last season, posting a 3.42 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with 194 strikeouts in 171.0 innings. His production nosedived down the stretch, but when the Twins were still trying to win games, Ryan was delivering.
Still 29, Ryan offers a couple years of cheap control before the Angels need to contend with the free agent market. He can come in, headline the rotation and better position Kikuchi and José Soriano as mid-rotation weapons rather than L.A’s headliners.
He won’t come cheap in terms of a return package, but Ryan is one of the best starters within reach of a prying front office. He’s a recent All-Star, with a spunky attitude that ought to perk up a beleaguered fan base. If the Angels want to present as a serious baseball team, trading for Ryan would go a long way.
Athletics: SP Hunter Greene
I’m not convinced that the Cincinnati Reds would seriously consider trading Hunter Greene, but his name has popped up enough — at least in the realm of hypothetical — to view it as a possibility. Cincy has a lot of controllable pitching depth, but desperately needs a bat. The A’s are loaded with young, controllable hitters, but their pitching staff is a joke. Few landing spots make more sense for Greene as a result.
Still under contract through 2028 and in the prime of his career, Greene would deliver Cy Young upside at the front of the A’s rotation. He probably doesn’t want to spend his peak years pitching in a Minor League ballpark, but the nature of the business doesn’t really give him a choice (yet). Nick Kurtz and Tyler Soderstrom feel untouchable, but what about Brent Rooker? His name has come up in trade rumors aplenty over the years. Jacob Wilson? Lawrence Butler? Even Shea Langeliers? Cincinnati can get aggressive with its ask when Greene is the prize.
This would signal a genuine desire to contend in Sacramento. This A’s lineup shapes up as one of the best in the American League after the Jeff McNeil trade, which subsequently gave the team a bit more wiggle room to trade a different bat. It helps that stud young infielder Leo De Vries could be on the MLB radar within a calendar year.
Greene made just 19 starts last season due to injury, but he was flat-out dominant — 2.76 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 132 strikeouts in 107.2 innings. He’s a blessed athlete, touching 100-plus consistently with a wideout slider and a splitter that’s good enough to keep hitters guessing. If Cincy can get the offensive boost it so desperately needs, maybe, just maybe, Greene is on the table. And maybe, in this realm of dreams and ambition, the A’s can finally start to put a competitive group on the field.
Texas Rangers: 1B Triston Casas
With the Danny Jansen signing, the Texas Rangers are moving in the right direction. Swapping Marcus Semien for Brandon Nimmo is an offensive upgrade, as Texas has enough pitching — when healthy, at least — to sustain a contender. That said, the middle of the lineup lacks a bit of heft. Jake Burger can still hit a baseball very, very hard, but he just was not consistent last season. First base is ripe for an upgrade.
Enter Triston Casas, whose future in Boston is increasingly uncertain following the trade for Willson Contreras. Last season was a nightmare for Casas, who hit .182 with a .580 OPS in 29 games before his knee blew up. But now he’s healthy, the offseason batting cage clips pop (definitely a reliable indicator, for sure), and Casas has a chance to resurrect his career at just 25 years old.
Texas would be wise to write off last year as an unfortunate aberration. Casas absolutely strikes out too much, but he also hammers the baseball — and posted an OPS of .800-plus in back-to-back years prior to last season’s downfall. He draws walks, slugs enough to mitigate the strikeout concerns and still has room left to improve. Best of all, he’s controllable through 2028 at cheap arbitration rates.
Boston can try to sneak Casas into the DH role, but in reality, the Red Sox are ready to turn the page. Texas would be wise to pounce on a golden buy-low opportunity. Burger just does not present the same level of upside, as Casas — when right — is a bonafide cleanup hitter with 30-home run, 80-RBI potential.
Seattle Mariners: 2B Ketel Marte
The odds of a Ketel Marte trade plummet daily, but there’s still enough smoke to believe something could happen. And while the Tampa Bay Rays feel like the most obvious landing spot given all that has transpired over the past couple weeks, the Seattle Mariners aren’t far behind on the list of best fits. Seattle needs a second baseman post-Jorge Polanco. Meanwhile, their pitching depth and top-shelf farm system give Jerry DiPoto plenty of ammo to force Arizona to the negotiating table.
The Mariners’ pitching staff should continue to hold court as one of if not the very best in the American League. In fact, aside from Bryan Woo’s fringe Cy Young candidacy, Seattle’s aces largely underperformed in 2025, meaning things could get even better in 2026. Then there’s the offense, which took a major leap following the additions of Randy Arozarena, Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez, at least two of whom are expected to stick around next season.
Cal Raleigh is an MVP candidate. Julío Rodríguez is maybe the best “second” star in the AL. This Mariners team was a razor-thin Game 7 loss in the ALCS away from the World Series. Now imagine if Polanco’s exit just opens the door for Marte, who finished 2025 with a monster .893 OPS and 4.6 fWAR. Marte is a proper 4.5-tool superstar — a disciplined hitter with pop, a good defender at second base and solid enough as a runner, even if he’s not stealing a ton of bases.
Opening games with Rodríguez, Raleigh and Marte at the top of your lineup feels almost unfair, especially if Raleigh can recapture even 75 percent of his MVP runner-up magic from last season. Pair that with Seattle’s pitching, and suddenly the Mariners profile as favorites to win the American League. Or the primary threat to Toronto’s crown, at the very least. This trade would blow any Astros optimism to smithereens.