The Houston Astros are going to be looking on the free agent market to improve their squad going into 2027. A lot of what they will be looking at in the free agent market will be pitching, both in the starting rotation and in the bullpen because of how those units struggled in 2026.

Still, despite the pitching market being very top-heavy this offseason, the Astros still need to be cautious and smart with their signings. One pitcher the Astros should avoid signing in free agency this offseason is Shota Imanaga.

Why the Astros Should Avoid Imanaga

The reason the Astros need to be extra cautious when selecting pitchers in free agency is their ballpark. Daikin Park is one of the more hitter-friendly ballparks in the sport, and they need to find pitchers who will thrive in that environment.

While Imanaga will fit the price bracket the Astros likely have this offseason, Imanaga is a fly ball pitcher. That simply won't work in Houston. In 2026, Imanaga posted a 1.81 HR/9% and surrendered 35 home runs in 174.1 innings of work.

Overall in 2026, Imanaga posted an 11-10 record with a 3.77 ERA with 174 strikeouts. Those numbers are solid, but there were portions of the season where Imanaga simply could not keep the ball in the ballpark, and the Astros simply can't afford to have that sort of liability on their staff.

According to Baseball Savant, Daikin Park yielded the fourth most home runs in baseball in 2026 with 113 hit out of the park. With the rate in which Imanaga gives up home runs, it's simply not a fit. That does not mean Imanaga is a bad pitcher, but though Wrigley Field is ranked eighth with 106 homers hit out, not being a huge difference, you want to have pitchers that would fit the environment they are in. Imanaga does not.

With that being said, the Astros still need pitching, and lots of it. They need to add to both the rotation and bullpen, but they need to be smart. Last offseason, they shocked the baseball world when they signed Tatsuya Imai out of Japan. By the All-Star break, Imai had visited the injured list and had pitched himself into losing his role in the rotation and gaining limited action in the bullpen.

The Astros just can't be spending that kind of money and not using a player. It's simply bad business.