Astros should be scrambling to lock up budding star after mishandling Jeremy Peña

The Houston Astros' chances of retaining Jeremy Peña took a major blow earlier this week after it was revealed that the shortstop has now hired Boras Corp. to represent him going forward. Scott Boras is notrious for taking his clients to free agency rather than agreeing to long-term extensions. With Peña set to hit the open market following the 2027 season, Astros fans shouldn't get too attached.

Houston should learn from this impending debacle, however, and turn their attention toward a young, budding star who could follow Peña's path and become an All-Star-caliber player. Rookie outfielder Cam Smith, who surprised a number of fans after being named to the Astros Opening Day roster, should be the next man up when it comes to long-term contract talks.

Smith's rookie season got off to a pretty slow start, but the young outfielder has been heating up of late. If he continues at this current trajectory, Smith will eventually command a huge salary. The Astros should take the gamble during the upcoming offseason and sign Smith to a pre-arb extension. Otherwise, they'll risk losing him just like so many others who've come before him.

Astros should be scrambling to lock up Cam Smith after mishandling Jeremy Peña

GM Dana Brown already showed tremendous faith in Smith by trading for him (and later including him on the Opening Day roster). But the entire reason Smith is in Houston rather than Chicago is because Brown — and to certain extent Jim Crane when he was acting as Houston's top decision-maker —failed to lock up Kyle Tucker when they had the chance.

Brown and Co. cannot afford to make the same mistakes they made in the past with Tucker, Framber Valdez, and now Peña. Even their prospects of keeping Hunter Brown over the long haul have taken a huge hit after allowing him to reach this point in his career without a long-term deal.

Astros fans are growing tired of seeing players like Tucker, Carlos Correa, George Springer, and Alex Bregman exit. The only way for Houston to keep that from happening (given Crane's desire to stay under the luxury tax threshold) is to show faith in these potential stars before they reach arbitration. At the moment, Smith represents Houston's best option to do just that.

Players view contract talks as an act of faith, and the longer that teams drag the process out, the more likely they are to do exactly what Peña did — find new representation that seeks maximum on the open market. At some point, the Astros must stop kicking the can down the road and invest in these players early in their careers. Smith presents Houston with a golden opportunity to do just that, and the front office can't afford to drag their feet.

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