The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers have escalated their rivalry dramatically over the last few years.

Since meeting in the playoffs in 2023, a seven-game series that the Rangers won on their way to their first-ever World Series title, Houston and Texas have been engaged in a constant game of one-upping each other. The two teams play for the Silver Boot trophy every year, and Houston claimed the season series and the boot with a sweep in September to finish 7-6 against Texas on the season.

Earlier this week, the Astros attempted to lay the groundwork for a different kind of win against the Rangers.

According to the official transactions log, the Astros signed outfielder Kellen Strahm to a minor-league contract on Tuesday. That deal did not appear on the log until Friday, when the Astros also officially invited Strahm to major league spring training camp.

Strahm was the Rangers’ fifth-round pick in the 2019 draft out of San Jose State. He played 544 games in the Rangers organization, including his last 149 at the Triple-A level, but elected free agency in November for the first time as a professional.

Though he has yet to make his major league debut at age 28, Strahm’s on-base ability may have caught the Astros’ eye. He has 324 walks in his affiliated ball career, turning a .265 batting average into a .371 on-base percentage.

Some non-roster invites inevitably get lost to the sands of time, but if Strahm winds up becoming an impact piece for the Astros, it will mark a nice behind-the-scenes win over the rival Rangers. And the Astros are one of the most outfield-needy teams in the majors, so non-roster invites may have a shot to win jobs if they ball out in Arizona starting next month.