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Houston Astros News: Jeremy Peña’s Future in Doubt After Hiring Agent Known for Player Departures

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña is enjoying a career-best year, but his decision to hire super-agent Scott Boras could jeopardize his long-term future with the Astros.

Peña has a slash line of .326/.380/.493 in 2025 and has become one of the Astros’ key core players, someone Houston ideally wants to keep for many more years. But Boras is notorious for guiding his clients to free agency, looking to maximize their market value.

What this means is either MLB teams pay premiums to keep their talents or risk watching their stars walk away.

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Why Astros Fans Are Concerned By Jeremy Peña’s Move to Hire Scott Boras

When players hire Boras, history suggests they’re headed for the open market. As an agent, Boras has built his career on free-agent deals, not in signing early extensions for his players.

Stars like Carlos Correa and Juan Soto have all reached free agency or cashed in with top-dollar contracts under Boras’ guidance. For the Astros, it is a painful reminder of the past.

The Astros have consistently drawn a line on what they are willing to spend, even if it means letting their stars walk away from the club. Correa, once the face of the Houston franchise, left for Minnesota after the club refused to match Boras’ price.

MORE: Jose Altuve Shares High Praise for Astros Jeremy Peña’s Breakout Season

George Springer departed for Toronto under similar circumstances. Even extension talks for superstars Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker failed, forcing the former to leave as a free agent while the latter was traded to the Chicago Cubs.

What Does This Mean for Peña and the Astros?

Peña couldn’t have picked a better time to sign with Boras. Since his move to replace Jose Altuve in the leadoff spot, the 27-year-old shortstop has consistently ranked among the league’s WAR leaders, currently trailing only New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.

Moreover, he is not just a force on the plate. He is even more valuable for his elite defense, making him one of the most complete shortstops in MLB.

Interestingly, Boras’ approach hasn’t always clashed with the Astros. Altuve, also another Boras client, has signed multiple long-term extensions with the club, making him a rare exception. At the start of the 2025 MLB season, Altuve also made a big suggestion to the Astros’ front office.

“He’s going to become a superstar,” Altuve said about Peña. “He’s a very valuable player for us. I’m very surprised they haven’t signed him to a long-term deal with the Astros. He’s a guy you really want on your team for a long time.”

The Astros didn’t listen and may cost them. Peña is still under team control. Houston avoided arbitration this past offseason by settling on a one-year, $4.1 million deal with Peña.

The 27-year-old star is arbitration-eligible in 2026 and 2027 before he becomes a free agent in 2028. It appears that the Astros have three choices:

  • Lock him in with a long-term extension – while it will be a tough negotiation with Boras, it is worth trying.
  • Wait out on his contract, which could see Peña walk away as a free agent for nothing in 2028.
  • And a trade? That is unlikely, given Peña is still a crucial asset for an Astros team that still boasts championship aspirations.

Shortstops like Peña don’t come around that often and the Astros are sitting on a gem of a player. It would be wise for Houston to make a few compromises, if it wants to retain him.

Unless Houston steps away from their usual playbook of limiting its decisions within a budget, it appears they could risk losing one of MLB’s best shortstops, now that Peña has Boras in his corner.

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