The Houston Astros waited until practically the end of the offseason, but they made a pair of moves to bolster their bullpen and to extend a superstar that most deemed eye-popping.
The Astros stealthily moved in and signed closer Josh Hader to a five-year deal worth $95 million. Then, earlier this week, the Astros got their long-sought extension done with second baseman Jose Altuve, as he signed a five-year extension worth $125 million.
The deal will make Altuve the first second baseman in history to make $300 million in career earnings. While Hader didn’t quite become baseball’s highest-paid closer, it’s not chump change.
Now, owner Jim Crane has to pay for it. The good news is that Astros fans are taking notice of the moves and forking over their money in the form of season tickets.
USA Today reported on Sunday that the Astros have sold 22,000 season tickets for the 2024 season, which happens to be a franchise record.
The article also made note that Crane took over as owner in 2012 and that season the team averaged 19,849 per game in home attendance.
That 2012 season the Astros won just 55 games. It was their second of three straight seasons with fewer than 60 wins as the team basically tore itself down and built from within.
The Astros improved to 86 wins in 2015 and sine then they’ve had a winning record every season, except for its 29-31 record in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season.
The Astros have won 100 or more games four times in that span, including three seasons in a row from 2017-19. Houston has made eight playoff appearances, won seven division titles, reached four World Series and won twice in 2017 and 2022.
That level of success would be enough to bring fans to the park every day. But with the face of the franchise and the new closer under contract for the next several years, Astros fans are signing up in droves for what they hope will be another drive to a World Series title.
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