The Astros have already tapped into the international market this offseason, inking Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai to a three-year deal on Jan. 2. While the players they brought aboard when the 2026 international signing period opened Thursday are a few more years off, the club has long relied on the

This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

HOUSTON -- Bill Wood pulled off one of the best trades in Astros history by acquiring future Hall of Fame slugger Jeff Bagwell from the Red Sox in exchange for veteran pitcher Larry Andersen in 1990. Bob Watson became the first African American general manager in baseball history when the

Following are the first workout dates, subject to change, for pitchers and catchers as well as full squads of the 30 Major League clubs for 2026 Spring Training.

If the eyes are a window to the soul, a baseball cap is a window to a town. Through lore, industry, animals and oftentimes food, Minor League hats in particular tell a story about the culture and history of the area the team represents. Past lists: 2018 | 2019 |

HOUSTON -- The signing of Japanese star pitcher Tatsuya Imai earlier this week represented a huge shift in how the Astros will approach the Pacific Rim in future years. The Astros, at the behest of owner Jim Crane, have planted scouts in Tokyo, Taiwan and South Korea with hopes of

Today's opening of the international signing period means amateur prospects from across the world can officially put pen to paper and call themselves professional ballplayers. It’s a testament to years of hard work not only for the players, but their families, their coaches and the extensive network of scouts and

This page will be updated throughout the offseason with all the latest Astros injury news and transactions.

MLB's 2026 international signing period opens on Thursday, and its importance can't be understated. While the vast majority of players are teenagers years away from reaching the big leagues, history tells us that the impact some of them make once they get there will be enormous. In 2025, four players

HOUSTON -- A pair of 2025 All-Stars -- shortstop Jeremy Peña and right-hander Hunter Brown -- headlined the list of Astros players who agreed to contracts for the ’26 season on Thursday, avoiding going to arbitration hearings. Peña, in his second year of arbitration, settled for $9.475 million with the

This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart's Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

For the first three installments of the MLB Pipeline Executive Poll, we asked front offices around baseball to focus on players. For our fourth and final report, we asked them to turn the spotlight on each other. As we have since we started this series in 2023, we are wrapping

If we had a dime for every time we’ve said or used the word “tools” at MLB Pipeline … we’d sure have a lot of dimes. Tools are, of course, the building blocks for prospects, and a lot of time is spent evaluating all of them to try to determine

In Part I of the MLB Pipeline Executive Poll, we took a look at the industry’s picks for Rookie of the Year in each league. This next installment will dig deeper into what front offices think about top prospects. The survey, filled out by more than 40 execs across nearly

HOUSTON -- Japanese pitcher Tatsuya Imai immersed himself in Texas culture right away, taking in a game between the NFL’s Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts on Sunday and throwing up the team’s “H” hand sign when he was shown on the big screen. A few hours later, he ate lamb

HOUSTON -- The Astros announced baseball’s first big splash of 2026 on Friday by inking Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai to a three-year contract that includes player opt-outs after the the '26 and '27 seasons. The deal is worth $54 million, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. Imai can earn $3

HOUSTON -- The success the Dodgers have had in the past few years with Japanese players didn’t go unnoticed by Astros owner Jim Crane. The arrival of Shohei Ohtani in Los Angeles prior to the 2024 season set the stage for the Dodgers to win back-to-back World Series titles, with

Jan. 7 is National Bobblehead Day, the greatest holiday of the year. Nod if you agree. Minor League Baseball teams are passionate proponents of the bobblehead, packing their promo calendars with spring-loaded giveaways. These bobbleheads celebrate local heroes, famous alumni and emerging stars, ranging from the poignant to the ridiculous.

Welcome to the fourth annual MLB Pipeline Executive Poll. Starting before the 2023 season, we surveyed front offices across baseball -- from general managers to scouting directors, farm directors, analysts and beyond -- on a number of questions regarding prospects. As has been our tradition, we’re beginning with who they

As we enter a new year and inch closer to the 2026 baseball season, there's much to be determined for many clubs as they head to Spring Training. While there has been plenty of offseason activity, many key free agents remain on the board, possible trade candidates haven't been moved

The calendar has flipped over to 2026, and we already have year-end awards on our minds here at MLB Pipeline. In 2025, we picked two of the three American League Rookie of the Year finalists in the Athletics' Jacob Wilson and Roman Anthony of the Red Sox. And we singled

Is Andy Pettitte a Hall of Famer? For some, the answer is an immediate no, regardless of any evidence presented. And there are reasons why he hasn't garnered a lot of support on previous Baseball Hall of Fame ballots. Pettitte was consistently good but never otherworldly great during his 18-year

The new year is for new starts, the unknown and the to-be-determined. No one can perfectly say what will happen in this 2026 calendar year, but we can certainly take a few highly educated guesses. In the land of Minor League Baseball, there may not be a more sought-after prediction

A brand new year means new possibilities for all 30 teams. Whether it's postseason success, individual awards, statistical records or player development, there's something every club can dream on heading into 2026. With the help of MLB.com's 30 beat writers, here's one key prediction for every team ahead of the