LET'S MAKE A DEAL

How latest MLB mega-deal could swing pendulum in Astros negotiations

Astros Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, Jose Altuve, Michael Brantley
Would Kyle Tucker sign a deal similar to Bobby Witt Jr.'s? Composite Getty Image.

The Kansas City Royals signed their 23-year-old shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., with only two big league seasons under his belt, to a massive 11-year, $288.7 million guaranteed contract.

That bit of sports financial news lit a rocket under Houston social media and blew a fuse on talk radio.

If the Royals can sign Bobby Witt Jr. long-term, why can’t the Astros get a similar deal done with their All-Star right fielder Kyle Tucker?

Didn’t general manager Dana Brown announce publicly last season that the Astros would do whatever it takes to keep Tucker in Houston for his entire career? Well …?

The bottom line, and it’s always the bottom line that drives the Astros these days, Bobby Witt Jr. and Kyle Tucker are two entirely different situations.

Witt Jr. is 23 years old and coming off a season where he batted .276 with 30 home runs, 96 RBI and 49 stolen bases, all standout numbers especially for a shortstop.

But that $288.7 million contract has more holes than a 100-pound wheel of Swiss cheese. Witt Jr. can opt out as soon as 2030. The Royals can exercise options that would extend the contract and bring the total to $377.7 million. Most important, Witt Jr. could be in line for another pot of gold contract when this one runs out.

Kyle Tucker is 27 years old with four full seasons of MLB experience, all with the Astros. Last year Tucker batted .284, smacked 29 homers, drove in 112 runs (led the American League) and stole 30 bases. He is a legit All-Star, one of the best players in baseball. But he’s faltered in the postseason, batting only .237 with eight homers over 14 different series. And the Astros are all about the postseason.

While Witt Jr. may be the better long-term risk for the Royals based on his age and statistics, Tucker actually is the one with hand over the Astros.

The Royals lost 106 games last year, tying their franchise record for futility, their seventh consecutive losing season. The Royals aren’t necessarily cheapskates, it’s just that Kansas City is a small baseball market with limited revenue sources (although their next-door neighbor Kansas City Chiefs seem to be prospering in the NFL, the biggest sports league in the world).

If Witt Jr. continues to put up amazing numbers, just maybe, he could make the Royals a .500 team.

Tucker means more to the Astros than Witt Jr. means to the Royals.

If Tucker has a big season and corrects his postseason blues, he could propel the Astros to another downtown World Series parade.

The biggest difference in the two players: Witt Jr. wanted to stay in Kansas City. We don’t know how Tucker feels about a future in Houston. He will make $12 million this season. Meanwhile players with half his credentials are making twice as much on other teams.

I’m certain of this: if owner Jim Crane presented the same contract to Tucker that the Royals gave to Witt Jr., Tucker would say no. Tucker remembers when the Astros beat him in arbitration over $2.5 million (relative peanuts these days) a couple of seasons ago. Tucker made no bones about his feelings of being underpaid.

I’m told that Tucker and his agent were none too pleased when Dana Brown all but promised fans that Tucker would be an Astro for life. First, it was giddy chatter, especially since the Astros are famous for avoiding long-term contracts. More important, it planted the idea in fans’ heads that the Astros want Tucker and, if things don’t work out, Tucker is the villain.

It’s reported that Tucker and his agent are resigned to playing the next two years in Houston and entering free agency where big bucks, possibly $350 million-plus, could await him. And who knows where the MLB market will be in two years?

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM
Fred VanVleet scored 20 points in the loss. Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.

Cade Cunningham had 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 107-96 win over the Houston Rockets on Monday.

Cunningham was 12 of 22 from the field. He scored 19 points in the third quarter as the Pistons built a 90-80 lead after three.

Jalen Duren had 16 points and 14 rebounds, Malik Beasley added 17 points off the bench, and Ausar Thompson had 11 points and nine rebounds for the Pistons, who shot 48% and were 10 of 27 on 3-pointers.

Fred VanVleet scored 20 points, and Jalen Green scored 19 points. Amen Thompson, who missed the game at Portland on Saturday with left calf soreness, added 17 points for Houston, which shot 39% and struggled from 3, connecting on 11 of 39.

Takeaways

Detroit: The Pistons committed 23 turnovers but were able to overcome it by forcing the Rockets into 17 turnovers and converting it into 19 points.

Houston: The Rockets got balanced scoring with five players in double figures, including Alperen Sengun, who had 11 points and eight rebounds, and Cam Whitmore, who had 10 points off the bench, but they couldn’t overcome poor shooting.

Key moment

After Houston cut Detroit’s lead to 90-85 three minutes into the fourth quarter, Marcus Sasser hit a jumper and three-pointer to spark an 11-2 run as Detroit pulled away.

Key stat

Detroit had a 52-39 advantage in rebounding and a 50-40 edge in points in the paint.

Up next

Houston hosts Cleveland on Wednesday, and Detroit plays at Atlanta the same day.

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome