Astros' turbulent offseason should prompt contract extension talks with these players

This offseason may have surprised many Astros fans. Maybe not the fact that acquiring Isaac Paredes and signing Christian Walker all but shut the door on Alex Bregman returning to the Astros, but that there would be such massive moves made, including trading Kyle Tucker. Perhaps just as surprising, is the fact that, other than Hayden Wesneski, they haven't added anyone to their starting rotation after acquiring Yusei Kikuchi last year at the trade deadline and experiencing the number of injuries that they dealt with.

Rumors start swirling that Houston was entertaining offers for Kyle Tucker, who was under contract for the 2025 season before hitting free agency. The Astros no doubt wanted to resign him, but with Scott Boras leading the negotiations, Tucker being just a year away from free agency, and the recent contract that Juan Soto got, the likelihood of that happening was slim.

We also heard talks that they would listen on offers for their staff ace, Framber Valdez, though that doesn't seem likely to happen at this point, considering the cost to replace his spot in the rotation is astronomical this offseason (see Matthew Boyd, Nathan Eovaldi, and Frankie Montas' extensions).

These two particular situations, especially Tucker's, should light a fire in Dana Brown and the Astros to work on getting some of their younger players extended before they become too expensive and opt to hit free agency.

Astros' tumultuous offseason makes the contract extensions for Yainer Diaz, Spencer Arrighetti and Jeremy Pena a priority

We heard reports that budding superstar, Hunter Brown, and the Astros both had some interest in getting a contract extension done last spring. However, after Brown's second half breakout and looking like he is ready to take the next step in becoming a legitimate frontline starter, the Astros may have dropped the ball. Brown, still in pre-arbitration, may just wait it out and look for a massive contract after his age 29 season. By that time, pitchers' contracts might be as ridiculous as the number of deferrals the Dodgers have on their books.

While Houston would love to extend Brown, however unlikely that might be, Yainer Diaz and Spencer Arrighetti may be the most likely of the next crop of Astros players to extend their stay in H-town.

Diaz is in his second year of pre-arbitration and knowing catchers' careers are generally shorter due to the nature of the job, he may be interested in taking more guaranteed money now to trade some control as he enters his 30's. Diaz is one of the better catchers in the leagues and the Astros securing his future in Houston should be a priority.

Though Brown is the best young pitcher on this Astros team, it is another starting pitcher that could be an under the radar candidate to be extended. Spencer Arrighetti was called upon to do a lot more than many expected in 2024. With a number of injuries to their pitching staff last year, Arrighetti was fourth in innings pitched and games started, just one behind Ronel Blanco. Arrighetti is only in his first year of pre-arbitration, but that could give Houston some leverage in buying out some later, more expensive years of control, in exchange for a slight raise over the next couple of years.

Jeremy Pena, one of Houston's best players after the Tucker trade, is someone that the team should strive to extend before he hits free agency. Pena has consistently shown he is one of the better shortstops in the game, averaging nearly 3 fWAR over the last three seasons. Pena will be 27 for most of the 2025 season, yet to truly enter his prime years. Now is the time for Houston to work on buying out a couple of free agent years before he prices himself out of Houston's comfortability.