Tatsuya Imai signed with the Astros for an incredibly reasonable price (3 years, $54 million) and I have to be honest, I’m starting to worry. We’re still a year away from a potential work stoppage, but it’s starting to feel like many teams are in Hold mode. And not Hold Mode, like when you walk into The Widget Emporium after a long day and say to Martha, “Martha, will you hold me?” And Martha held you for ten minutes while you cried in her arms because Frank from accounting said you had halitosis. Martha said they are tonsil stones and they can help you at your Smile Factory, or what she calls your dentist. No, this is not a Hold mode. In this Hold Mode, Steinbrenner tells Brian Cashman, “How can we cry for a salary cap when the salaries we should be paying are above that?” That’s not a good Hold mode. That’s a bad Hold mode. What looks good is Tatsuya Imai’s reverse slider. Yoink compilation!
YOINK compilation pic.twitter.com/NP89iw66L1
— Criminalenimpsons (@Criminalsimpson) December 21, 2025
Tatsuya Imai works with a fastball over 95 MPH that can touch 99. He has three main pitches: reverse slider, fastball, changeup. Got a splitter and started working on a ‘vulcan’, a sinker. I like how Japanese pitchers call their pitches funny names like ghost fork and vulcan. Complete nonsense, which I love. Last year Imai achieved 10-5/1.92/0.89/178 in 163 2/3 IP. That puts the 27-year-old at a 9.8 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9, which translates to a guy around an 8.5 K/9, 3 BB/9. That might be a strong number three, but you know who those numbers are a lot like? Framber, who, with the help of the Astros, took those songs and made them sing like an ace. Never underestimate the Astros’ ability to zhuzh. Hmm, no streamers fell from my ceiling when I became the first fantasy baseball writer to use “zhuzh” in a sentence. Projections for 2026: 11-8/3.74/1.27/160 in 171 IP. Anyway, here’s what else I saw this offseason for fantasy baseball 2026:
Psyche! All of my 2026 fantasy baseball rankings are on the Patreon. Don’t wait for the rankings to appear later this month. Anyway II, the summary:
Pete Fairbanks – Signed by the Marlins, a top five most bizarre signings of the past decade, and the second most bizarre is Ryan O’Hearn. Marlins and Pirates sign, cats and dogs get along, we’re blown away! By the way, I don’t know what the Upside Down is at this point, and I stopped doing it around 2017. Even if the Marlins signed Fairbanks in July to trade him, which I 100% think they did, that’s good for them. Projections for 2026: 5-3/2.93/1.06/56, 24 saves in 54 IP
Tyler Mahle – Signed with the Giants. There’s no better place for a T. Mahle than San Fran’s Mission District. Let the Giants lure that left-hander, Chip Otle, out of the Mexican leagues and open the toilets! Mahle always manages to get through a partial no-K season with excellent proportions, but it’s so hard to trust that I can’t. Fine for a deeper competition, but I can’t imagine putting him in a team with twelve players. Projections for 2026: 7-7/4.03/1.21/99 in 123 IP
Ryan O’Hearn – Signed by the Pirates. I don’t want to be too complimentary about the Pirates’ moves because they should still get scorn overall, but O’Hearn is a solid mid-range bat for real baseball. Low Ks, high walks, some power. Oh, he still had a HardHit% of less than 30%, which is so comical for a first baseman and a mediocre bat, but for Pirates? Great! I’m generous, you cowards! Try it once! Projections for 2026: 68/15/73/.262/3 in 481 ABs
Jeff McNeil – Traded to the A’s. The Prospblok is moving west! From prosp blocking Ronny Mauricio, Luisangel Acuña, Mark Vientos, Brett Baty – Yeah, somehow McNeil blocked four guys. Don’t ask how. Now it’s his job to block Zack Gelof. McNeil will try to make Bing Bong wet like no one else has ever been able to do. I really hope the A’s only give McNeil 150-200 ABs, but Gelof and his 45 K% weren’t exactly making a case for themselves. Projections for 2026: 57/15/55/.257/3 in 454 ABs
Kirby Yates – Signed with the angels. They found him as the man to take Rendon’s stuff to the UHaul. Then put the Uhaul in neutral at the top of a steep hill. I project guys in my top 500 and Yates will be in the top 500, but I’m not sure if he’s closer yet so I’ll wait to project him. I suspect he’ll be closer if they don’t add anyone else. I’m not sure who else they would add. Maybe Rendon wants to make a smaller deal? Don’t let it get past the angels!
Jarred Kelenic – Signed a minor league contract with the White Sox. If a team can unlock Kelenic, I wouldn’t bet on the White Sox.
Sean Newcomb – Signed with the White Sox for $4.5 million. Just a haircut would have been cheaper.
Rob Refsnyder – Signed with the Mariners. [looking into crystal ball] Mariners vs. A’s on September 3, 2026 and it’s the 9th inning. “Here comes Refsndyer in to pitch. If he can hold the A’s here, all the fans in attendance will win a half-off bread bowl at Pike Place Chowder. Oh no, just like I say… Jeff McNeil takes it deep with his 14th homer to make it 16-1.”
#Tatsuya #sign #argue