Ranking the Astros most deserving of a contract extension

With so many Astros headed for free agency in the next couple of years, let's take a look at who is most deserving of an extension.

Championship Series - Texas Rangers v Houston Astros - Game Seven
Championship Series - Texas Rangers v Houston Astros - Game Seven | Bob Levey/GettyImages
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#5 Chas McCormick

The Astros breakout player of 2023, Chas McCormick deserves an extension. The Astros can try to buy out some arbitration years as they did with Yordan Alvarez and Cristian Javier, and pay McCormick above what he'd make in arbitration.

McCormick is headed to arbitration for the first time, coming off of a 3.8 fWAR season in which he hit 22 home runs and stole 19 bases in only 115 games. With Dusty Baker finally gone and Joe Espada on the record that he will "put the best players on the field," Chas is likely going to put up some big numbers in 2024.

McCormick is under team control through 2027. The Astros could buy an extra two years similar to what Brown's Braves have done with so much of their young talent. With the farm system depleted, Houston has to keep their young guns around. Chas should be the first.

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