Late last week, the Houston Astros were able to execute a huge item on their offseason to do list, signing starting pitcher and World Series hero Cristian Javier to a five year, $64 million contract extension. In doing so, they avoided going to arbitration with one of their most valuable young pieces, and bought out Javier’s three years of arbitration and what would have been his first two years of free agency.
Javier was 11-9 with a 2.54 ERA last season, but that doesn’t begin to measure his dominant stuff, and his flair for the moment. Javier was the starting pitcher in a combined no hitter in Yankee Stadium back in June, and then, against the Phillies n the World Series, he was the starting pitcher in a Game 4 no hitter the flipped the momentum of that series.
It’s a great signing and the latest example of the Astros’ preferred method of extending this championship ship window — signing current players to extensions with years of team control still on the books. Thus far, the strategy has proven to be one of the biggest reasons the Astros should remain dominant for the remainder of the decade. Let’s look at each deal that was done during this window, prior to Javier:
JOSE ALTUVE, second baseman – 5 years, $151 million, signed March 2018
Altuve’s extension kicked in starting with the 2020 season, which was the COVID year, and the only bad season Altuve has had in his entire career, as he carried the weight of the cheating scandal on his shoulders. Outside of 2020, the contract has been a fantastic investment in the most popular (and greatest) player in franchise history. Altuve’s had an .845 OPS since signing the extension, and made three All Star Games. He was MVP of the 2019 ALCS, and was instrumental to three runs to the World Series since 2019. Altuve has two years worth $58 million remaining on this deal. His next contract should lock him up for the rest of his career.
ALEX BREGMAN, third baseman – 5 years / $100 million, signed March 2019
Bregman had the best season of his career after signing this extension, hitting 44 home runs and finishing second in the AL MVP voting. The extension kicked in for the 2020 season, and for two years, things went to hell in a hand basket, as Bregman was routinely injured for two straight years, playing just 42 games (out of a possible 50) in 2020 and just 91 games in 2021. Bregman recovered nicely in 2022, with an .820 OPS in the regular season, and a .948 OPS in the postseason. Bregman is set to make $60 million total over the final two hears of the deal in 2023 and 2024. The team is working on extending him beyond 2024.
LANCE McCULLERS, starting pitcher – 5 years / $85 million, signed March 2021
McCullers has had one of the more star crossed careers in recent Astros history, with a slew of injuries affecting availability throughout his time in the big leagues, most notably a torn UCL requiring Tommy John surgery following the 2018 season (causing him to miss all of 2019), and another elbow injury that forced him out of the 2021 ALCS and World Series, and the first four months of 2022. McCullers has four years at a total of $69 million left on his deal. This is the most worrisome of all the extensions signed thus far, and it’s not really close.
YORDAN ALVAREZ, outfielder/DH – 6 years / $115 million, signed June 2022
Alvarez signed this extension in the middle of his amazing 2022 season, in which he finished in third place for the AL MVP Award, and in the postseason, hit two of the biggest home runs in the history of the team — a walkoff in the Game 1 comeback versus Seattle, and the game winning home run in the World Series clincher versus Philadelphia. The extension kicks in this season, and the early speculation is that this will be one of the most team friendly contracts in the sport, as Alvarez rolls through his prime seasons at under $20 million per year.
The ones to watch now are outfielder Kyle Tucker, starting pitcher Framber Valdez, and perhaps shortstop Jeremy Pena. Tucker lost his arbitration case last week, and still has two years of arbitration eligibility left after this season. Valdez is in his second year of arbitration now, and coming off a top five Cy Young finish. Pena is coming off a legendary postseason, but it may be a little early for both sides to be talking extension, just one season into his career.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
