Major League Baseball rang in the New Year by knocking down one of the big starting pitcher dominos in free agency. Maybe you heard the noise.

Not quite as jarring as a snow squall emergency alert on your phone.

I had to change the sheets.

The Astros reached agreement with Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai on a three-year, $54 million deal that includes multiple opt-out clauses. MLBTradeRumors.com ranked him seventh on its top 50 list and projected a contract for $150 million over six years.

Still on the market are Framber Valdez, who seems even less likely to stay in Houston, and Ranger Suárez. The Orioles have expressed their interest in both starters and remain in the running, as far as we know. CBS Sports’ R.J. Anderson predicted earlier this week that the Orioles would sign Valdez, whose 83 quality starts the past four seasons are second-most in the majors behind Logan Webb’s 85.

Suárez isn’t in the top 25, but he’s built an impressive resume that includes a 1.48 ERA in 11 playoff games. The Orioles couldn’t go wrong either way.

Shane Baz will be in the rotation when the Orioles break camp, assuming, of course, that he avoids an injury. Zach Eflin is trying to join him, but he’s going to be handled with more than the usual amount of care after his August back surgery. Whether it prevents him from going on the injured list will be one of the more interesting storylines of spring training.

Eflin has tracked the offseason work done by president of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias, including Baz, first baseman Pete Alonso, outfielder Taylor Ward and closer Ryan Helsley. He could be another important piece of the puzzle.

“I think everybody’s pumped for the season,” he said in his video call. “I think the moves have been great. I mean, you’re adding to a team that’s already so talented, and some of those guys are some of my closest friends in the game.

“Speaking to Taylor Ward, we grew up playing Little League, travel ball, all that stuff together, so it’s really cool to be able to share a same jersey with him. Just being from the same hometown as him and (Ryan) Mountcastle, that stuff is special. The moves that they've made, it's a win-now thing. We want to win the World Series, and everybody on the team knows that. Clearly, they're making it obvious that we're going to make a run at this thing, so it was very attractive to come back.”

The chances of winning the division and making the deep playoff run that’s eluded them improve tremendously with a top-tier starting pitcher to join Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers. Eflin makes the unit much deeper given his track record.

“It wasn’t a secret or anything. I wanted to come back,” he said.

“We had conversations even before all those moves. I love the guys on the team, I love the staff, I love the front office. It’s such a fun place to go to work every day, especially when you spend so much time away from your kids and your family. And us having four under 4, it’s really hard to be away. But to surround yourself with the competitors that are on that team that are amazing baseball players but are even more amazing people, I’m very blessed to have the opportunity to come back and just very thankful.”

Tyler Wells might get pushed to the bullpen if Eflin’s on the Opening Day roster or if Elias adds to his starter collection. And Wells could push a reliever to the minors.

Ryan Helsley is the closer and Andrew Kittredge is a set-up man who also can close. Albert Suárez should make the club after signing a minor league contract, as long as he’s healthy. The 40-man roster is light on left-handed relievers. I’ve got Keegan Akin and Dietrich Enns making the team, with Grant Wolfram having an outside shot.

For now, he’s out.

I’m including Yennier Cano and Kade Strowd. That’s eight with Wells.

I had Rico Garcia in an original draft but replaced him with Wells. I might have chosen the wrong guy to omit. Garcia certainly has a shot at winning a job.

Colin Selby remains in the organization, which also gives him a chance. Anyone remember him being on the 2024 Wild Card roster?

The Orioles also could consider a few starters who don’t make the rotation, like Cade Povich and Brandon Young. As I’ve said in the past, it comes down to whether the organization thinks they should continue their development in their current roles in Triple-A.

Also important to note is that Elias might add at least one more reliever, which will lead to more bumping.

Let’s pull a few questions out of the mailbag.

How'd you like the Ward and Baz trades?
Too soon to grade them, of course, but initial reaction varies. Ward was surprising because I didn’t think the Orioles would trade Grayson Rodriguez, but it makes total sense. Forget controllability. Rodriguez hasn’t pitched since July 31, 2024 and the Orioles couldn’t count on him. Even if healthy on Opening Day, they’d have to be really careful with him and monitor innings in a season where they’re all-in. Maybe he turns into the guy that the previous front office expected when drafting him, and the guy Elias expected after inheriting him, but this is all about 2026. My initial reaction to the Baz deal was, wow, that’s a lot to give up in prospects. But they weren’t gonna help in 2026. And, again, this is all about winning now. Baz has a really high ceiling and controllability.

When is Félix Bautista expected back? Anything more precise than late in the 2026 season?
Sorry, nothing more precise. The Orioles don’t exactly know. They’re optimistic that he pitches sometime in the second half. I’d be more concerned about what version of Bautista that they’re getting after surgery to repair his labrum and rotator cuff. How’s the velo? How’s the feel for his pitches?

Do you think this roster realistically has room for another top-rotation starter?
It absolutely does. The Orioles will figure out how to make room. It’s a fun problem. Just load up and go. Put some guys in the ‘pen. Option some guys. Trade some guys. It can be done.

Can Polar Bear Pete Alonso help recruit his fellow Tampa native, which is Kyle Tucker, to our team?
Sorry, but I don’t think Tucker is walking through that door. Alonso was the mega-bat signed in free agency. By the way, did you know former Orioles reliever Mychal Givens went to the same high school? H.B. Plant in Tampa. Not that you asked.

What’s your thoughts on new bench coach Donnie Ecker? Talked to him yet? I heard he was at the Alonso press conference.
I can confirm his presence. I introduced myself. He stood up to shake my hand – unnecessary but appreciated. A nice first impression. Otherwise, honestly, I don’t know anything about him beyond the bio. I thought that the Orioles might go with a former manager in the role after replacing Fredi González with Robinson Chirinos and then lacking experience when they fired Brandon Hyde and made Tony Mansolino the interim manager. But Ecker and manager Craig Albernaz overlapped on the Giants’ staff, and Ecker has a World Series ring from the 2023 Rangers. I’ve heard good things.

How does Imai pronounce his first name?
ee-mah-ee.

Is the Queen amused that Leody Taveras' walk-to-strikeout rate in the Liga de Beisbol Dominicana so far is 28:23?
This is a good place to stop. But also, he really does have 28 walks and 23 strikeouts in 39 games to go with a .280/.393/.413 line.