Long Shot Houston Astros Target Predicted To Land Record Setting Deal

The Houston Astros likely won't have the money to spend on the New York Yankees free agent.

Jul 31, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown addresses the media in the dugout prior to a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Minute Maid Park. / Erik Williams-Imagn Images

When the Houston Astros enter the offseason, there's a good possibility they'll have to spend as much money as they ever have in a winter.

There's reason to believe they'll do just that, too, as they have some of their core players locked up for the foreseeable future. However, with the pending free agency decisions of Alex Bregman this offseason and Kyle Tucker in 2025, there's plenty to think about.

As the Astros saw throughout the campaign, they aren't as dominant as they once were. Baseball is a tricky sport, and losing a three-game series doesn't necessarily mean they didn't have a chance to win a World Series, but this was two straight campaigns of them not accomplishing their goal of winning it all.

Could that make the front office interested in a player like Juan Soto?

There have been slight rumors about Houston potentially giving him a look this offseason. While they haven't shown the willingness to spend that type of money on free agents in the past, he's one of the very few players worth the kind of contract he might get. 

The question for the left-handed slugger will continue to be how big that contract could be.

Eli Ben-Porat of Baseball America has a wild prediction, writing that Soto will land a $701 million deal. 

"How big of a contract will Soto get? Before the season, I predicted that Soto will sign with the Yankees for 15 years, $701 million dollars (please ignore my other bold predictions). I think that’s roughly what he’ll get in free agency, and I think there is almost no chance the Yankees let him walk. There are very few players in baseball for whom you can expect a six-win floor for at least the next three seasons, and any team that’s looking to win a World Series is going to want to sign him. As with the infamous ‘Arson Judge’ moment, when it temporarily looked like the Yankees slugger was going to San Francisco, I think New York will do whatever it takes to sign him. And I think that number will be $1 million more than what Shohei Ohtani received."

Statistically, there might not be a better hitter in Major League Baseball.

If the Dominican Republic native stays on the same trajectory moving forward, there'd be an argument that he'd go down as one of the best hitters in baseball history.

However, unlike Shohei Ohtani, he only plays one side of the ball. That alone should be why he doesn't see $700 million.

If he does, it'd be tough to be upset about the Astros not pursuing him.