{"id":378265,"date":"2026-07-18T23:34:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T23:34:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/378265\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T23:34:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T23:34:31","slug":"with-lance-mccullers-jr-gone-this-astros-legend-is-houstons-worst-contract-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/378265\/","title":{"rendered":"With Lance McCullers Jr. gone, this Astros legend is Houston’s worst contract now"},"content":{"rendered":"

The end of Lance McCullers Jr.’s era<\/a>, via a trade to Milwaukee, did more than end a decade-plus run in Houston. It cleared one of the more uncomfortable contracts off the Houston Astros\u2019 ledger. It was a deal more about health updates than pitching. Now, with that money gone and Colton Gordon out the door with him, the Astros no longer have to answer for McCullers\u2019 financial burden. But they do still have to answer for what\u2019s left behind.<\/p>\n

Now, it\u2019s another franchise stalwart holding the bag, Jose Altuve. Nobody wants it this way, for what it\u2019s worth. For years, this wasn\u2019t a conversation worth having. Altuve had been the exception to every rule about aging middle infielders. He kept hitting well into his thirties while the rest of his peers mostly faded. That earned Altuve enormous goodwill and was a major reason the front office kept extending him rather than letting him hit the open market. The goodwill is still there, but the performance to back it up is gone. And the gap is exactly what turns a beloved franchise icon into an ugly contract.<\/p>\n

Now that the Astros moved on from Lance McCullers Jr., Jose Altuve’s contract looks like even more of an albatross<\/p>\n

The five-year, $125 million extension Altuve signed a couple of years ago was never really about production, though the production was there. It was more about loyalty and a front office rewarding the face of the franchise<\/a> with salaries that rise up to $30 million per year through 2027, followed by two far less expensive years in 2028 and 2029. Nobody thought the contract would age gracefully, but the hope was that it wouldn\u2019t look too bad before the cheaper years kicked in.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The decline, though, has arrived early and loudly. Altuve took a modest step back in 2025, but 2026 has been worse. He\u2019s hitting just .235\/.307\/.404 through the break with a wRC+ below 100 for the first time since 2013 (other than 2020, which does that even count?). The uncomfortable questions<\/a> about what comes next are no longer premature. Pitchers have learned they can beat him with velocity, and he\u2019s getting exposed because of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are others who have an argument for the worst contract, too, which isn\u2019t exactly ideal. Cristian Javier\u2019s deal isn\u2019t looking great, given his injury and struggles upon his return. Christian Walker\u2019s three-year, $60 million deal looks pretty rough as well, even though he\u2019s been better this year. Even Carlos Correa\u2019s deal is iffy with his season-ending injury, though the Twins are paying a good chunk of his remaining salary.<\/p>\n

Altuve\u2019s deal is different. There\u2019s no out. It\u2019s not a short-term deal. There\u2019s not a real trade market for a 36-year-old second baseman who can\u2019t hit a fastball and isn\u2019t good defensively. And there\u2019s no real scenario where the Astros do with Altuve what they did with McCullers and eat money to facilitate a trade. So yes, they saved money with that trade, but it is also now shining a lot on a contract they can\u2019t escape.<\/p>\n

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