Yordan Alvarez, one of the core members of the Houston Astros, has been locked up for the foreseeable future. Sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan that Alvarez and the Astros have agreed to a six-year extension worth $115 million. The deal officially begins next year. The extension covers the final three years of Alvarez’ current deal, and it buys out three of his free-agent years. According to Passan, the slugger will make $26 million a year over those three years. This Alvarez extension is the biggest deal ever for a primary DH.
Alvarez’ deal is the fifth largest for a player who has not reached arbitration. Only Fernando Tatis Jr.’s 14-year, $340 million contract, Wander Franco’s 11-year, $182 million extension, Buster Posey’s eight-year, $159 million contract, and Mike Trout’s six-year, $144.5 million deal were larger.
Big-Time Slugger
Since entering the league in 2019, Alvarez has become one of the most feared sluggers in baseball. This was the year that saw Alvarez voted unanimously as AL Rookie of the Year despite only playing in 87 games. He was unable to follow-up on his impressive rookie season in 2020. Alvarez was limited to two games in his sophomore season due to injuries on both knees. However, in 2021, Alvarez returned in a big way.
Alvarez set career highs nearly across the board in 2021 and was a vital member of another AL pennant-winning team. The DH hit .522 in the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox leading to him being named the ALCS MVP.
This season, Alvarez is second in the AL with 14 home runs. The Cuban-born hitter has also driven in 31 runs, which is first on the Astros entering Friday. Through 278 career games entering this weekend, Alvarez has a .287/.370/.576 slash line with 75 home runs and 217 RBI. Alvarez has been one of the best hitters in the league, and he doesn’t turn 25 until June 27th. With Alvarez’s record-setting extension, the Astros have locked up one of the most dangerous hitters around.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Yordan Alvarez, Fernando Tatis Jr., Wander Franco, Buster Posey, Mike Trout
