Astros cannot afford to wait to give Steven Okert the extension he deserves

While Yordan Alvarez has justifiably been getting the bulk of the attention, one of the Houston Astros' true unsung heroes this season has been Steven Okert. Josh Hader started the season on the IL, and when Bryan Abreu struggled with the increased responsibility, it was Okert who provided the bullpen stability that Houston needed to survive.

As it turns out, Okert's importance to the Astros may be even greater than we all thought. A recent piece for The Athletic by Chandler Rome detailed how Okert has become the heart and soul of the Astros' bullpen, who is loved by his teammates and who's constant availability has been a point of pride.

At this stage of his career, Okert is not going to be in line for a long-term deal. However, the Astros would still be foolish not to extend Okert and keep him where he belongs.

Steven Okert deserves a contract extension from the Astros (within reason)

Okert is currently in the middle of his walk year and is making a tad over $2.3 million in his last year of arbitration. He is also coming off a strong 2025 season and is in the middle of a career year in 2026 with a 2.13 ERA across 53 appearances. However, Okert's production has been uneven overall, and is 35 years old. Crafting an extension with that dichotomy is tricky, but certainly not impossible.

At this stage of his career, it is hard to justify even giving Okert a fully guaranteed three-year deal with how volatile relievers can be. However, Okert has more than earned something like a two-year, $15 million deal with a club option for a third year that has a nice little buyout for Okert if it gets declined. That would give Houston some flexibility down the line, but still reward Okert and keep him in the fold.

If Okert thinks he is going to get much better than that on the open market (especially when you factor in the state of Texas' tax status), so be it. You thank him for his service and wish him luck. However, it does feel like the affection the Astros have for Okert is mutual, and a new contract with that sort of framework seems like a solid starting point. What Houston can't do is let Okert hit free agency and hope that he circles back, because other teams already know what he brings to the table.

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