New York Post columnist Jon Heyman may have just revealed why Jeremy Peña switched agencies and is now represented by Scott Boras. According to Heyman, Peña was in serious talks with the Houston Astros about a long-term contract extension in the range of $100 million. It would seem, however, that Peña didn't like the direction those negotiations were going, so he called in the big guns.
According to Heyman those contract talks are now on hold. Will they pick back up in the future? Astros fans certainly hope so, but Boras has a long track record of taking his clients all the way to free agency where he believes there's more money to be had.
This is the last thing that Astros fans wanted to hear. Peña is in the midst of an All-Star season, and other than Aaron Judge, should be the frontrunner for AL MVP. Switching representation — especially to Boras Corp. — could become a gigantic stumbling block for the Astros and Peña moving forward.
Astros’ lowball contract offer that made Jeremy Peña run to Scott Boras revealed
It has to be said that if Houston was only willing to go up to around $100 million with Peña, it's no wonder that he swapped agencies and joined Boras. Though Peña's performance at the plate during the 2025 season has been an outlier compared to years past, the fact of the matter is that he's going to want to receive fair compensation for that level of play — not his performance from 2024.
Peña has seen an uptick in almost every offensive category. His OPS is up to .877 this season after posting a career-worst .701 OPS in 2024. Peña's on track to shatter his career-mark for doubles, and with 11 home runs already this season, could surpass the 22 home runs he hit during his rookie season in 2022.
They were talking about a deal for in the range of $100M. Now on hold. https://t.co/uMGjzT0lfQ
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 25, 2025
Peña fields a premium position while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense — by today's standards, that warrants a sizable contract. Peña hasn't played well enough to garner Francisco Lindor money ($34.1 million AAV), but something close to Dansby Swanson (seven-year, $177 million) shouldn't be off the table.
Despite Boras now part of the equation, the hope among Astros fans is that Houston figures out a way to keep Peña around for the long haul. The Astros can't afford to watch another star leave via free agency.
