There are a lot of extension talks surrounding the Houston Astros right now.
After locking up Jose Altuve with a multi-year extension that likely keeps him with the team until he retires, the next ones on the list are three of their most important pieces.
Alex Bregman is first up, scheduled to hit free agency after this season.
He's expected to be one of the best players on the open market during the upcoming cycle, so many think him and his agent, Scott Boras, turn down any lowball offer the Astros might present.
Kyle Tucker and Framber Valdez will become free agents after 2025.
The majority of the conversation for extensions have centered around Bregman and Tucker, with the front office saying they will offer contracts to both of them at some point.
However, with Justin Verlander already 41 years old, it seems like Houston should be focusing their attention on the left-hander to keep him with the organization for as long as possible.
With a career ERA of 3.40 across 129 appearances and 107 starts, he would be one of the top pitchers on the market with a bWAR of 10.7 and ERA+ of 123.
Tim Britton of The Athletic took a look at what it might cost the Astros to lock up Valdez with a long-term extension, and he thinks the contract could look similar to what the San Francisco Giants' ace received.
"Valdez's best comp is the extension from last season signed by [Logan] Webb. Webb's deal bought out three free-agent years at about $23 million per season. Valdez has been a touch better, and he's a year closer to free agency, so let's bump that up to $25 million per year," he writes.
That would bring the total contract to five years and $105 million.
For someone as good as Valdez, that feels like a steal.
Sure, he struggled in the second half of last year and during the playoffs, but before that outlier type of stretch, he put together great performances in the 2020 and 2022 postseasons.
Keeping Valdez should be a priority for Houston.
Getting him for this type of deal would be a major win.
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