The Houston Astros are in first place in the AL West and seem primed for a run in the playoffs so far this season. With the team jockeying for position, rumors are that the club is in contract talks with one of its stars to keep him on the roster long-term. However, it sounds like contract talks are on hold for now.

Reports indicate that the Astros and shortstop Jeremy Pena have put contract talks on hold, according to Jon Heyman of The New York Post. Pena had recently changed agents in the middle of contract negotiations, so now the discussion is rumored to be on hold. The 27-year-old shortstop currently owns a 4.5 WAR, which is second in the league behind only New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge (5.8 WAR)

“Astros and star SS Jeremy Pena had been in serious long-term contract talks before his recent agent switch to Scott Boras, as I said on [the] MLB Network. Those talks are now on hold, at least for now. Pena is 2nd in MLB behind Aaron Judge with a 4.5 WAR. They were talking about a deal in the range of $100M. Now on hold.”

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Pena is in the midst of a monster season. Not only does he own a 4.5 WAR, but he also has a .326 batting average and .382 OBP while recording 100 hits, 11 home runs, and 40 RBIs through 307 at-bats. That's the type of production any team in the league would love to have in the lineup, which is why the Astros are considering giving him a $100 million contract.

Switching agents may prove to be a smart move for Jeremy Pena. There's a possibility he didn't like the direction the contract talks were going with his former agent. Boras has the opportunity to negotiate a bigger contract worth even more money for the four-year veteran.