HOUSTON -- The Astros acquired right-handed pitcher Kai-Wei Teng in a trade with the Giants in exchange for Minor League catcher Jancel Villarroel on Thursday. Right-hander J.P. France was designated for assignment to make room for Teng on the 40-man roster.
TRADE DETAILS
Astros receive: RHP Kai-Wei Teng
Giants receive: C Jancel Villarroel (was Astros' No. 13 prospect, now Giants' No. 27 in MLB Pipeline rankings), international bonus pool money
The Astros also struck an agreement Thursday with left-hander Tom Cosgrove on a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training, a source said. The team has not confirmed the Cosgrove deal.
Teng, 27, posted a 7.30 ERA over 12 big league games (seven starts) with San Francisco over the past two seasons. He struck out 46 batters and issued 25 walks in 40 2/3 innings. He’ll compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster and has the ability to start or pitch in relief.
Teng has a low-slot release and wields a five-pitch mix, headlined by his sweeper. He threw that pitch 39% of the time in the Majors last season. The opposition hit just .191 with a 34.6% whiff rate against Teng’s sweeper in 2025.
Cosgrove appeared in 72 games with the Padres from 2023-24, compiling a 3.95 ERA. He pitched in two games last year for the Cubs. In 2023, Cosgrove’s 1.75 ERA over 54 games and his .173 opponents’ batting average led all qualified rookie relievers.
Cosgrove finished the ’23 season in the 100th percentile in the Major Leagues in hard-hit rate (25.5%) and average exit velocity (83.9 mph) and in the 95th percentile in barrel percentage (3.6%). Cosgrove will make $900,000 if he reaches the big leagues, the source said.
Cosgrove and Teng are the sixth and seventh pitchers acquired by the Astros this offseason, beginning with the signing of Nate Pearson in October. The Astros also signed Ryan Weiss out of the KBO, selected Roddery Muñoz in the Rule 5 Draft, traded for Mike Burrows from the Pirates and made their biggest splash by signing Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai to a three-year deal.
The additions provide the Astros with additional pitching depth to protect against injuries, which rocked the rotation and bullpen last season.
Villarroel ended the 2025 season as Houston’s No. 13 prospect in the MLB Pipeline rankings, and became the Giants' No. 27 prospect following the deal. The 21-year-old had a slash line of .259/.351/.388 with 18 doubles and 20 stolen bases across 100 games for Single-A Fayetteville and High-A Asheville. Though the 5-foot-8 Villarroel spent the majority of his time behind the plate, he also started 22 games in the outfield.
The Astros signed Villarroel out of Venezuela in 2022.