Houston Astros Division Rivals Predicted to Sign Shohei Ohtani
While the Houston Astros are expected to not do much this offseason, that doesn't mean that others within their division will stand pat as well.
The Astros have dominated the AL West in recent years, winning six out of the last seven division titles, including this past year.
However, they faced their division rival Texas Rangers in the playoffs for the first time ever and lost in the American League Championship Series. The Rangers eventually went on to win the first World Series title in franchise history.
Texas has been one of the most aggressive spenders in free agency the past couple seasons, committing more than $500 million to Corey Seager and Marcus Semien alone. They also signed Jacob deGrom to a $185 million before 2023.
Now, Andy McCullough of The Athletic thinks that they'll sign the best player in baseball, Shohei Ohtani, and get him into the mix with their already loaded roster.
"Ohtani has never really done what folks expect him to do. Who knows? Could be fun. He’s never played in the postseason in the majors, and Texas could take him higher," he writes.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are still the favorites to sign the Japanese phenom, however, as McCullough mentioned, he is a wild card when figuring out what he will actually do.
If the Rangers do sign Ohtani, that is a scary proposition for Houston going forward.
Despite holding a lead against their rivals in the ALCS in 2023, the Astros were ultimately beaten and saw Texas win the championship.
With Ohtani in the mix for the Rangers, they could become the new dynasty in the division and hurt Houston's chances of winning for a long time.
