Fresh off a Cy Young campaign in 2015 when he made $524,500, left-handed starter Dallas Keuchel suddenly found himself as one of the best bargains in baseball. I do recall rampant talk that offseason around Houston about whether the Astros would offer a contract extension, and it always seem like an easy ‘yes.’
A new contract made sense in terms of long-term cost certainty, especially if the Astros could’ve buy out of Keuchel’s free-agent years. Also, by potentially locking down a Cy Young winner for multiple seasons before he hit free-agency (for another potential bargain), the Astros would’ve been praised among the fanbase, especially on the heels of an unexpected trip to the postseason.