The Houston Astros announced on Friday that they had reached an agreement with right-handed pitcher Cristian Javier on a contract extension through the 2027 season worth $64 million.
Javier’s numbers from the 2022 season were a definite step up from his years prior when he first broke into the league back in the COVID-riddled 2020 season.
Javier went 11-9 last season with a career-best 2.54 ERA, .948 WHIP, and 194 strikeouts. Javier also started in both of the Astros’ two combined no-hitters last season against the Yankees and Phillies.
Newly hired GM Dana Brown is no stranger to contract extensions, as he helped the Braves to lock down star players such as Ronald Acuna Jr. and Austin Riley, amongst others. In his introductory press conference, Brown stated, “We want to be greedy about winning, and that is what it is all about.”
Javier isn’t the only player that the Astros planned to extend, with other star players such as Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, and Jose Altuve possibly up next. Brown mentioned that he was going to be “aggressive” in signing some of the younger players in the organization.
The contract extension secures Javier through the remainder of his arbitration-eligible years and what would have been the first two years of his free-agency eligibility.
Brown stated, ” As a core piece of our rotation, we felt that he is the perfect candidate for this type of deal. This is in line with our vision to try to lock players up to sustain our success both now and in the future.”
Houston is making necessary moves to ensure that their championship window stays open for years to come, and they’re showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
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