Astros: Full terms of Jake Odorizzi contract reveal Houston paid up

The Houston Astros were backed into a corner with Jake Odorizzi’s contract, so they paid up.

The Astros lost promising young starter Framber Valdez for a significant period of time due to a fractured left ring finger. The initial opinion is for Valdez to undergo surgery, and likely miss most of if not the entire season as a result. That’s a surprising timetable for what looked to be Houston’s ace heading into a 2021 campaign without Justin Verlander.

Due to the timing of the injury, the Astros didn’t have much time to respond. There’s less than a month before Opening Day. So, Houston swung for the fences for their primary — and best — option. The Stros signed Jake Odorizzi on Saturday, paying him upwards of $15 million per season on a multi-year deal.

Did the Houston Astros overpay for Jake Odorizzi?

The Astros had no choice but to give into Odorizzi’s demands. Their desperation for frontline starting pitching was obvious after Valdez’s injury.

So, sure, Jim Crane was forced to pony up, but the Astros weren’t in a position to negotiate. Not to mention, $15 million per season in a rather short deal isn’t much to pay for someone with the upside of Odorizzi.

He made just four starts in 2020 due to injury, but in 2019, Odorizzi went 15-4 with a 3.51 ERA. He’s a capable No. 2 or No. 3 starter on a World Series team. The Astros will ask him to be much more in the early portion of their schedule.