Astros keep Yuli Gurriel from hitting free agency with new deal

Ahead of opening their Wild Card Series against the Twins, the Houston Astros have given Yuli Gurriel a contract extension.

The Houston Astros made the playoffs this year with a losing record. They’ll open their Wild Card Round Series against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday afternoon. Ahead of that, according to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY, they’ve given first baseman Yuli Gurriel a contract extension.

Gurriel was slated to hit free agency after the season. According to Nightengale, he’ll make $6.5 million in 2021 with an $8 million club option for 2022 that includes a $500,000 buyout. Gurriel can also earn $2 million in incentives each year of the new deal.

Gurriel, as was the case with many of his teammates (que the sign-stealing alert), struggled at the plate this year (.232/.274/.384 slash-line, six home runs and 22 RBI in 57 games). He hit better than .290 in each of the previous three seasons, with an OPS over .800 twice. In 2019, he easily set a career-high with 31 home runs as he also drove in 104. Even before the sign-stealing stuff came to light, 2020 was primed to be a season of some regression for Gurriel. In 2018 and 2018 he hit a total of 31 home runs.

The Astros will find out who Yuli Gurriel really is as a hitter

But that regression, in a unique and short season, didn’t scare off Astros general manager James Click.

With their entire starting outfield (George Springer, Josh Reddick, Michael Brantley) headed toward free agency, Gurriel is now on board for at least next season. The Astros can see if this year was a blip for Gurriel, and let him go with minimal financial impact after next year if it wasn’t.

The success Gurriel had over the larger sample of 2017-2019 (over 1,700 plate appearances) looks more important than a 230-plate appearance struggle. But there are natural questions, as the Astros were proven to be cheating over that three-year stretch of time. Extending him without giving him multiple guaranteed years looks like a shrewd move, assuming at least Springer is brought back on what’s sure to be a significant contract for him.