Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com is reporting that the Houston Astros and ace pitcher Justin Verlander are “moving toward” a contract extension. Per Feinsand, the deal will likely cover two years and come out to a figure “in the range of” $66MM. The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal had opined that such a deal seemed “a long shot,” citing the righty’s apparent desire to eclipse Zack Greinke‘s then-record $34.1MM average annual value from his 2016 commitment to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The news of a potential deal coming just nine hours after the Boston Red Sox agreed to a five-year, $145MM deal with left-hander and perennial Cy Young candidate Chris Sale, Verlander’s pact with Houston would mark the organization’s third such extension this week – the most recent two being All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman (five years, $100MM), and reliever Ryan Pressly (two years, $17.5MM). The 35-year old and seven-time All-Star Verlander certainly earned the pay-raise given his body of work across the past year and a half in Houston: his 2.52 ERA, 3.03 xFIP, 290 strikeouts, .259 opponent wOBA, 34.8 K%, and 7.8 K/BB all make for the best in the American League, and he still averaged 95.4 mph on his fastball last year (per Pitch Info).

All told, Verlander would make for the eighth recipient in the last three days – joining his Houston teammates alongside Sale, Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (five years, $130MM), Rays lefty and reigning AL Cy Young champion Blake Snell (five years, $50MM), prospects Brandon Lowe (Rays, six years, $24MM) and Eloy Jimenez (White Sox, six years, $43MM), and Angels’ center fielder and future Hall of Famer Mike Trout (a record-setting 13-year, $430MM deal).

Since the offseason kicked off in early November, 20 players have signed multi-year extensions with their respective organizations. It took almost two calendar years for the prior 20 contracts to be signed (one would need to go all the way back to Jose Ramirez‘s five-year, $26MM deal with the Cleveland Indians signed on March 28, 2017). That said, it’s hard to blame this group of big-league stars – and hopefuls, for that matter – given the trajectory of the free agent market across the past two offseasons.

With none of the game’s four highest-valued free agents in Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Craig Kimbrel, and Dallas Keuchel signing prior to the first week of training camp (the latter two, in fact, have yet to be signed at all), the hopes that any talented player find his market value through a winter bidding war have effectively run dry. Needless to say, the present climate has its advantages for the Mets’ front office – where such young arms as Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler, and Noah Syndergaard all wait in line for extensions of their own.