It feels like the Houston Astros' decisions to let their star players walk out of the building is finally starting to come back to haunt them.
While they haven't been a bad team this year with a record that's two games above.500, they also have not looked like the dominant group they have been in the past.
Seeing Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman put together MVP-like seasons with their new clubs also adds insult to injury since the Astros have not been a consistent offensive unit through the first quarter of the campaign.
Because of that, perhaps some change in mentality could occur going forward when it comes to keeping their current star players around.
Jeremy Pena would be the next name that comes to mind for many.
After bursting onto the scene in 2022 as the replacement for Carlos Correa, his postseason run was stuff of legends when he won both the ALCS and World Series MVP Awards.
Since that point, he hasn't been the elite player like he appeared to be, but his defense has more than made up for his sporadic offense during the past two years.
And now with him starting to perform at a high-level with the bat in his hand again, it appears like Pena is set to be a face of this Astros franchise for many seasons ahead.
But how long will he be in Houston?
Only under club control for two more years, past history indicates the Astros won't be in a rush to get something done. However, Jose Altuve was vocal about wanting the front office to extend Pena, and after his pleas to re-sign Bregman seemingly fell on deaf ears, there could be some pressure on Dana Brown to make that happen.
What an extension might look like for Pena is hard to gauge.
If he keeps up this level of production, then there's a chance that he prices himself out of the comfort zone of Houston.
That's why there should be some urgency to start extension talks with his market value in the range that it is now.
Michael Shapiro of Chron.com took a look at some contracts that other players have signed around the league and compared it to what Pena might get.
He landed on a six-year, $125 million extension that would buy out the remaining two arbitration seasons the star shortstop has and keep him with the Astros through 2031.
Shapiro believes that number is more palatable for Houston.
And as for Pena, getting an AAV that's in the range of Dansby Swanson's deal while also being paid more than Ketel Marte is something the insider believes could be accepted by the Astros star.
It'll be up to Brown and owner Jim Crane to make it happen. But one thing has become clear; they can't afford to keep letting their best players leave if they want to win more championships.
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