Late on Friday, the Houston Astros made a key move, signing young right-hander Cristian Javier to a five-year contract extension worth $64 million.
Despite losing Justin Verlander to the New York Mets, Houston still has a very deep and balanced starting rotation, which includes Javier.
Javier made history this past postseason when he twirled six scoreless frames in Game 4 of the World Series and helped throw a combined no-hitter, the first postseason no-no since Roy Halladay in 2010 and the first in World Series play since Don Larsen‘s perfect game.
On MLB Network, analyst Jon Morosi discussed the extension and what it means for Javier and the defending champion Astros.
Cristian Javier signs a 5-year/$64M extension with the World Series champs!@jonmorosi on Javier's journey with the Astros since signing his first contract worth $10k. #MLBNHotStove pic.twitter.com/p0c9IxqVek
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 13, 2023
Morosi first talked about how this move will go down as the first major move made by the Astros in the era of Dana Brown in the general manager position.
However, it goes beyond just that.
Morosi recalled that when Javier first signed with the Astros, he was only given $10K.
Now, the 25-year-old has earned a nice fortune and a solid reward for his success in Houston.
Last year, Javier went 11-9 in 30 appearances, with 25 of them being starts.
In those 30 appearances, the young righty posted an ERA of 2.54.
Morosi also noted that this signing could have major ramifications for the Astros when concerning their core of stars.
Recently, star outfielder and slugger Kyle Tucker lost his arbitration case, and Morosi hinted at the possibility of future contract talks.
But with a solid amount of money going to Javier and several key players coming close to free agency, it could be tough for the Astros.
Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman are both in the last two years of their current contracts, while Tucker reaches free agency after the 2025 season.
But as of now, the Astros have one of their top starters locked up for the next five years.
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