The Houston Astros have signed their franchise player to a contract extension. The Astros and second baseman Jose Altuve have agreed to a five-year contract covering the the 2025-29 seasons, the team announced Tuesday. The deal is worth $125 million and takes Altuve through his age-39 season.
Altuve was set to become a free agent after 2024, but he will instead be an Astro for life.
Altuve, 33, was the rare Scott Boras client to sign an extension rather than test the market the last time he was approaching free agency. Now he’s done it again. The contract will pay Altuve $30 million a year from 2025-27, $25 million in 2028, and $10 million in 2029. The front-loaded contract means Altuve’s salaries will be lowest when he’s likely deepest into his decline.
“Altuve was here when I got here in 2011. We’re the only two guys that have been here that long,” owner Jim Crane told MLB.com Tuesday. “Not only has he performed well, but to have him hopefully retire here is a big deal for the franchise, for him and the fans, more importantly.”
An errant pitch in the World Baseball Classic broke Altuve’s thumb last spring, forcing him to begin the season on the injured list. Once he returned, he slashed .311/.393/.522 with 17 home runs in 90 games. He recorded his 2,000th hit, 400th double, and 200th home run in 2023. This contract extension will ensure he chases his 3,000th career hit in an Astros uniform.
Altuve is the Astros’ franchise leader in batting average (.307), doubles (400), runs (1,062), and stolen bases (293). He is third in hits (2,047) and fifth in home runs (209). He’s also second all-time in postseason home runs (27) and third all-time in postseason hits (117). Altuve was a central figure in the Astros winning the franchise’s two World Series championships in 2017 and 2022.
With Altuve signed, the Astros now figure to turn their attention to third baseman Alex Bregman, who will become a free agent after the 2024 season. Outfielder Kyle Tucker and left-hander Framber Valdez are extension candidates as well. They’re both two years away from free agency.
Houston went 90-72 and won the AL West through a tiebreaker in 2023. They went to the ALCS for the seventh straight year, but lost to the AL West rival Texas Rangers, the eventual World Series champions, in seven games.
