Since 2019, with a minumum of 900 PAs, he has the second highest wRC+ in baseball. And this season, he's cut down on strikeouts. If the Astros believe this is the real Alvarez, then this is a great deal. Id even argue he may be underperforming this season due to a .271 BABIP. Dude crushes the ball, but does so with an approach that isnt greedy or off-balance.
I think a better discussion would be someone explaining why Juan Soto is worth 15-25 million AAV more when they are virtually the same at the plate.
the article notes Soto's barrels numbers are taking a hit this year relative to Alvarez, which are peaking.
Let's face it - Soto needs a bounce-back in his numbers probably bigger than last year in order to maintain the narrative of being the next Ted Williams. Some of those extreme comparables are dropping because, even as he performs in line with expectations (last year), there's less of a possibility that the estimates are on the low side.
