The Houston Astros have operated differently from other Major League teams during their dynastic run, letting multiple star players and homegrown talents leave the organization.
Perhaps that is why they were able to have a stranglehold over the American League for seven years, choosing to roster ascending players instead of paying for past production.
However, at a certain point, letting talent walk out of the clubhouse catches up to everyone, and that could be coming for the Astros over the next couple of offseasons with Kyle Tucker being shipped out of town, Alex Bregman likely finding a new home, and Framber Valdez set to test free agency based on what happened on the open market this winter.
To avoid these scenarios, front offices have extended those they identify as future stars early, something Houston has done under current general manager Dana Brown when they handed Cristian Javier a five-year, $64 million deal.
But, it sounds like they might have missed the boat on doing so with another.
According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, Hunter Brown might no longer be eying an extension after having interest in getting something done previously.
“Mutual interest existed for an extension last spring when Brown had a 4.60 ERA across just 176 major-league innings. A deal never manifested, Brown morphed into a budding ace and, now, perhaps out of the extension conversation altogether,” he writes.
That comes on the heels of the rising star hiring Scott Boras to represent him, something that normally only occurs when a player is interested in receiving a huge payday.
Brown’s contract situation is interesting.
He’ll become arbitration eligible in 2026, so he’s still multiple years away from hitting the open market.
With that timeline still present, it’s certainly notable he’s already thinking about free agency after he produced a strong showing with a 3.49 ERA and 113 ERA+ across his 31 outings and 170 innings pitched.
The right-hander hiring Boras doesn’t mean something can’t get worked out with the Astros, but past history suggests he’ll be pointed to hitting free agency instead of accepting an extension offer.
That would be disappointing, especially if Houston continues to have the same mindset regarding roster retention that they’ve had over the past several years, which would likely result in him playing elsewhere.
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