According to reports, the Houston Astros are set to sign 24 year old outfielder Yordan Alvarez to a 6yr/$115M contract extension.
The deal which will come into effect at the start of the 2023 season is the 4th most lucrative contract for a pre-arbitration player in league history. Alvarez’s new deal comes in just behind those signed by Mike Trout, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Buster Posey.
The AL’s 2019 Rookie of the Year winner clubbed 33 HRs, and registered a .277 BA with 104 RBI’s last season. Through his first 45 games of the season this year, Alvarez sports a .272 BA with 14 HRs and 31 RBIs.
Houston currently sits atop the AL West standings with a 33-18 record, 6.5 games clear of the 2nd place Angels. The native of Las Tunas, Cuba won the ALCS MVP award in 2021 en route to the Astros trip to the World Series.
Alvarez was originally signed by the Dodgers as an international free agent in 2016. However, the 6’5” lefty was later traded to Houston in exchange for relief pitcher Josh Fields.
Since then Alvarez has been named to the All-MLB 2nd Team twice (2019 & 2021) and has amassed 75 HRs for the Astros in only 278 games played. The former Cuban national team member has been primarily DHing for Houston this year, with only 18 of his 45 games being spent in the outfield.
Regardless, the Astros will no doubt be thrilled to lock up a core piece of their offense for the foreseeable future. And coming in at an AAV of $19.17M per season, Alvarez’s extension could wind up being a steal for the club if he continues to progress over the next few campaigns.
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