While speaking on a radio broadcast, Houston Astros GM Dana Brown provided an update on his efforts to extend members of the team's core. Brown said that the club is in extension negotiations with Kyle Tucker's agent, relaying that Houston is "optimistic" about securing an extension with the 26-year-old outfielder while also acknowledging that any contract discussions would likely be tabled if matters do not fall into place by Opening Day.
Brown has been unusually candid publicly about his efforts to extend several members of the Astros core, having made public comments regarding a desire to extend not only Tucker and Framber Valdez but also Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, and Cristian Javier. Of that group, only Javier has inked an extension thus far, though Altuve and Bregman are both under club control for the next two seasons. Tucker and Valdez are not set to hit free agency until the 2025-26 offseason.
Brown’s front office will certainly have the financial resources to get extensions done, as the club’s payroll situation leaves Houston plenty of room to maneuver. RosterResource pegs the club’s 2024 luxury tax commitments at just under $159.5MM. That figure does not include salaries for Houston's arbitration-eligible players, but a significant raise on the $23.2MM the Astros spent in arbitration this year would leave them with room under their expected 2023 payroll, which stands at just under $218MM for luxury tax purposes.
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