The Houston Astros reportedly were working through contract extension talks with shortstop Jeremy Peña. Those conversations apparently have since paused.
While progress was being made, MLB insider Bob Nightengale believes things have now changed after Peña switched agents.
“The Houston Astros were optimistic they were moving close to signing shortstop Jeremy Peña to a five-year, $100 million contract extension a few weeks ago,” wrote Nightengale. “The optimism was abruptly halted when he left the Beverly Hills Sports Council for Scott Boras, who will be seeking a much more lucrative deal to keep him from hitting free agency after the 2027 season.”
Seeing this happen shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone as Boras is known for playing hardball in contract negotiations. He loves nothing more than seeing his clients become free agents as a better deal lines his pockets more.
However, this throws a major wrench in the Astros’ plans. Spotrac currently values Peña at an eight-year deal worth $202 million, approximately $25.3 million per year. Prior to the agent switch, that deal may have been possible.
Peña may have even been willing to take a discount if the Astros were willing to provide him long-term security. Now with Boras, Houston likely will need to provide much more than the Spotrac projected deal to keep Peña around.
The two sides have some time to come to an agreement, though. Peña has 2 1/2 years of team control remaining and won’t hit free agency until the end of the 2027 season. However, that could also play into Boras’ hand if Peña continues to perform well for the Astros.
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