The Houston Astros have been hit with nothing but bad news as of late, but their fans finally received something to cheer about on Thursday

Houston managed to avoid arbitration with three-time All-Star George Springer, as the two sides agreed to a one-year deal worth $21 million for the 2020 season, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

This marks the final season where Houston has Springer under club control. He will be eligible to hit free agency in the winter, so the Astros front office will have to do all they can to secure Springer long-term.

It’s been a whirlwind of a week for the Astros, who have been hit with hard penalties following the conclusion of MLB’s investigation towards their sign stealing scandal.

Earlier this week, Major League Baseball announced that Astros GM Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch had been suspended for a year. Owner Jim Crane then decided to fire both men, without naming an immediate replacement for either.

The Astros were also hit with a $5 million fine, and commissioner Rob Manfred took away their first and second-round draft picks for the next two years.

Related: The 10 Richest MLB Players Of 2019

The Boston Red Sox also parted ways with Alex Cora, who was the Astros’ bench coach and mastermind behind the sign stealing scheme in 2017. The Red Sox are currently under investigation for committing similar acts in the 2018 season.

On top of that, the New York Mets cut ties with manager Carlos Beltran on Thursday, just two months after hiring him. Beltran was on the Astros when they won the 2017 World Series.

The Astros have no choice but to put the scandal behind them and try to move forward. Getting Springer under contract for 2020 was a must before spring training. Now, they can focus on working out a long-term deal with Springer as the Astros try to rebuild their reputation around the league.

Next: The Rise Of Skywalker Was Originally Intended To Be A Very Different Movie

Source: Read Full Article