Reggie Jackson's Blake Snell comments don't bode well for potential Astros extension

The Houston Astros are one of the organizations that have chosen to lean heavily on the advice from some of the legends of the game.

Just last year, the Astros named Jeff Bagwell as a senior advisor on a fairly wide range of issues from player development to baseball operations. Michael Brantley is remaining with the team in an advisory role while also enjoying his newfound retirement.

Another famous name that has been helping the team out, but who never played for the Astros, is Mr. October himself, Reggie Jackson.

Jackson's role had been primarily defined as one with a focus on community outreach and helping with youth baseball charities in the Houston area. However, if you have a Hall of Famer on speed dial, it is probably safe to assume that owner Jim Crane and the front office are going to pick his brain from time to time.

For that reason, Jackson's comments on why the Astros didn't sign for Blake Snell were particularly eye-opening.

Could Astros sitting out on Blake Snell be bad news for a Framber Valdez extension?

To be clear, Jackson isn't making the final calls on who the Astros sign or don't sign. However, it is clear that he has stayed involved with Houston at a relatively high level and has kept his ear to the ground as to their thinking. While many think that the deal that Blake Snell ultimately got from the Giants was fairly reasonable, Jackson and (apparently) the Astros disagree that he was worth that much despite the fact Houston could have really used another top starter.

The Astros being cost-conscious isn't exactly news as Crane has long been careful to not overextend Houston's payroll beyond what he is comfortable with. The most likely thought this offseason seemed to be that Snell's asking price was through the roof, the Astros committed what money they had elsewhere, and then there just wasn't anything left for Snell for when his price dropped.

However, Jackson's comments seem to indicate that even after Snell's price dropped, Houston would have been unwilling to pay that. If that is the case, the idea that the Astros are going to be willing to pay up to sign Framber Valdez to a long-term extension anywhere close to market value becomes problematic.

Valdez and Snell are at very different stages of their careers and Valdez doesn't have Scott Boras as his agent, which could be the true hang up, but this is something to keep an eye on going forward as Valdez approaches free agency. He value is only going to increase if he continues to pitch at a high level, leaving the Astros back at square one should they opt to let him play out his team control before moving on.

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