Jose Altuve inks massive five-year, $125M extension with Astros
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Jose Altuve and the Astros have agreed on a contract extension.
The Astros second baseman have come to terms on a five-year, $125 million deal, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed.
The deal includes a $15 million signing bonus and will pay Altuve $30 million through the first three years of the contract and $10 million in the final two, The Athletic reported.
Altuve will be the first second baseman in the major leagues to reach $300 million in career earnings, Heyman reported.
The Astros also appeared to confirm the news in a post on X.
“Jose Altuve will be an Astro for life,” the club wrote along with an image of Altuve.
Altuve, 33, will play his 13th major league season in 2024, and the new deal will keep him in Houston through the 2029 season.
Altuve was part of Astros teams that won the World Series in 2017 and 2022, the former squad involved in the infamous sign-stealing scandal that tainted their 2017 championship.
He has been one of the faces of the Astros franchise and a constant target of derision for opposing fans — in particular, Yankees fans — for being part of that 2017 Houston club.
News of an extension isn’t too surprising considering that general manager Dana Brown had spoken about the desire to lock up players like Altuve long-term after he was hired last year.
Altuve, the 2017 MVP, had expressed a desire to remain with the Astros last spring in an interview with the Houston Chronicle.
““I’m 32, and I want to play to 40,” Altuve said at the time. “I love what I’m doing right now. I love my game. I enjoy my game, … When I go out there and put my uniform on, I really enjoy playing with these guys. Hopefully, like Craig [Biggio] said, I can stay here for the rest of my career. Everybody knows it’s not up to me. But [it’s] something I would love to [do].”
Altuve holds a number of Astros records, including batting average (.307), doubles (400), runs (1,062), and stolen bases (293).
He sits third in hits (2,047) and fifth in home runs (209) as well and is coming off a 2023 season slashing .311/.393/.522 with 17 home runs over 90 games.
Altuve had to start last year year on the injured list after breaking his thumb during the World Baseball Classic.
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