Astros re-sign Yordan Alvarez to massive six-year deal

Yordan Alvarez is going to be slugging baseballs in Houston for the foreseeable future.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Astros are re-upping the power-hitting DH on a six-year deal worth $115 million. Alvarez’s mammoth deal is the largest ever for a designated hitter, and the fifth-largest for a player who had yet to reach arbitration, behind only Fernando Tatís Jr. (14 years, $340 million), Wander Franco (11 years, $182 million) Buster Posey (eight years, $159 million) and Mike Trout (six years, $144.5 million).

The hard-hitting lefty won AL Rookie of the Year in 2019 after bursting onto the MLB scene at 21 years old. He hit .313 in 313 at-bats, collecting 98 hits, 27 homers and 78 RBIs. He registered a .412 OBP, .655 SLG% and 1.067 OPS that season.

Alvarez played in just two games during the 2020 season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and another operation to repair a torn patella in his right one. He bounced back with a 33-HR, 104-RBI campaign in 2021. He’s hitting .272 this season in 162 AB, while amassing 44 hits, 14 HR (tied for third in the MLB) and 33 RBIs. 

Houston, meanwhile, is 33-18, tops in the AL West.