Astros get bad news on future with ace amid 1.22 ERA

The Houston Astros are very lucky to have Hunter Brown on their side this season.

The 26-year-old has been dominant in the early stages of the campaign, throwing the baseball at an elite level with his 1.22 ERA and 0.84 WHIP.

In six starts and 37.0 innings, the right-hander has struck out 40 and has walked just seven.

Brown, who is arbitration-eligible in 2026 but doesn't hit free agency until 2029, is someone the Astros want to keep around on a potential extension before he hits free agency.

However, according to a recent report, it doesn't seem like the Astros will have a chance to accomplish that.

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"The path is narrow, if not nonexistent, Gavin. Brown is blossoming into one of the best pitchers in baseball, someone who would be better served to await a nine-figure payday in free agency than risk losing money on an in-season extension.

"According to multiple league sources, Brown was interested in an extension last spring, but talks with Houston’s front office never materialized into anything substantial. Those discussions came while Brown left Wasserman for the Ballengee Group and boasted a 4.60 ERA across 176 major-league innings...  Players generally pick Boras with free agency in mind, and Boras often encourages his clients to test the open market in favor of signing an extension," Chandler Rome of The Athletic wrote.

Whenever Scott Boras gets involved, things typically don't go as planned. He left the Ballengee Group in the winter and hired Boras, a tough outcome for Houston.

Boras, who knows how to get his clients paid better than anyone in Major League Baseball, will likely help Brown get a big payday when the time comes if he continues to pitch how he has.