Crane Discusses Length Of Contracts Regarding Astros Standouts

Houston Astros owner Jim Crane talks contract extension strategy when dealing with star players.

Houston Astros owner Jim Crane is hardly opposed to handing out lengthy multi-year contracts to his standout players.

He wants to win.

That’s clear.

But Crane is also realistic about remining competitive for the foreseeable future beyond 2023.

The Astros opened the season with a 3-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox, but they’re very much the favorite to repeat as World Series champions.

“I think some of those things, as we’ve learned through the years, the back end of those contracts can be difficult,” Crane told reporters. “They all don’t work out. I think we try to plan out pretty far, but nobody I think can tell you what’s going to happen in eight or nine or 10 years, or even five years. If those things don’t work, those teams are going to have difficulty down the road.”

Yordan Alvarez signed a six-year, $115 million extension in ’22 and Alex Bregman inked a five-year, $100 contract in ’19. The year before, Jose Altuve signed a five-year, $151 million deal and Jose Abreu recently signed a three-year, $58.5 million contract.

Eventually, those long-term deals won’t be feasible to dole out to every player to field a competitive team.

“I think we’ll take that player by player,” Crane said. “Our goal here is pretty simple. We try to assemble 26 guys. You can’t do it with one big contract. I think some teams have learned that. I think we try to keep who we think we can keep and continue to develop our players with complete flexibility with the roster.

“I’m not saying it’s something we would never do. We’ve done well by constructing the team the way we have and doing some extensions from time to time, when it makes sense. We are probably at the top of the payroll now, right below the Competitive Balance Tax, and we’re not afraid to go over it.”

Altuve and Bregman both have deals that expire after the ‘24 season. They’re obviously crucial players in terms of the club’s success.

Even though new general manager Dana Brown said that he hopes they both retire in a Houston uniform, nothing is guaranteed.

This much we know: Crane will pay his players. History proves that much.

But you can't pay everyone.

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