Astros' Hunter Brown mistake just got even worse after Tarik Skubal's arbitration win

For Houston Astros fans tired of seeing the team's homegrown talent leave in free agency, the Astros' handling of Hunter Brown has been infuriating. Brown was open to an extension before the 2024 season, but Houston poo-poo-ed the idea and said it was too soon for that. The Astros circled back once it became apparent that he was a stud, but Brown had already hired Scott Boras and increased his price tag by then. Extension odds for Brown went down as a result, and they weren't likely helped by the result of Tarik Skubal's arbitration hearing on Thursday.

Skubal went into his final year of arbitration wanting to set a precedent and preview what his free agency ask is going to look like. It was honestly close as to whether or not his gambit would work, as the $32 million figure he filed was so far from the Tigers' $19 million that one side was going to be way off regardless of what happened.

Well, the verdict is in and not only did Skubal win his arbitration case, but he also may have given his fellow Boras client in Brown a stronger case to ask for even more on a long-term deal.

Hunter Brown just got more expensive for the Astros after Tarik Skubal's arbitration win has Scott Boras feeling his oats

We don't know what the market is going to look like when Brown is ready for free agency after the 2028 season, and that will also be under a brand new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). However, we do know that Brown is a high upside power pitcher who is working on a stellar arbitration case himself and who also just saw the somewhat similar Skubal get $32 million in arbitration.

If Brown wants to follow a similar path, and the money suggests he should absolutely want that, the next step is getting some hardware on his mantle. Skubal was able to win his arbitration case because of a provision for those with "special accomplishments," which meant he could compare his salary to all MLB players, not just previous arbitration figures. If Brown can make noise in the Cy Young race again, we could see this exact scenario play out with Brown in a couple of years.

As for the Astros, they have to be kicking themselves for not taking advantage of Brown's early willingness to sign an extension. Instead of locking up a legitimate ace for the foreseeable future at a bargain rate, it is looking more and more like the Astros are going to have to endure yet another high-profile exit.