The Houston Astros and second baseman Jose Altuve have come to terms on a 5 year, $125M contract extension which will keep him tied to the club through the 2029 season.
Altuve, who was set to hit free agency at the end of the season, has spent the entirety of his 13 year MLB career with the Astros after debuting with the club as a 21 year old in 2011. Across 1,668 games with Houston, the 33 year old has amassed 209 HRs, 747 RBIs, 1,062 runs, 293 SBs, while hitting .307 and slugging .471. His 162 game average during that time frame comes out to 20HRs, 73 RBIs, 28 SBs, 103 runs, and 54 walks per season.
Not bad for a 5’6″ amateur free agent out of Venezuela.
Over the course of his career in the Lone-Star State, Altuve has earned 8 All-Star selections, 6 Silver Slugger awards, 2 World Series Titles, an AL MVP award in 2017, and 3 batting titles dating all the way back to when Houston was still a member of the National League.
Assuming he plays out all 5 years of his extension, that will leave him at 19 seasons with the Astros, one shy of Hall of Famer Craig Biggio’s franchise record of 20 campaigns in Houston. GM Dana Brown, who joined the club in January of 2023 told reporters that Altuve “should be in Houston for life.” A sentiment the 2nd baseman echoed a few days later saying “I hope to retire here, so I think we’re on the same page.”
Limited to just 90 games in 2023, Altuve’s offense has shown no signs of slowing down as he crossed the age 30 threshold back in 2020. His defense has slowed down, with advanced metrics showing that in terms of runs saved, he falls below the league average.
That being said, none will doubt the importance of the right handed bat’s presence not only in the clubhouse, but the broader Houston community as well. While other Astros have come and gone over the years, this now marks the third extension Altuve has signed with the club, making him the defacto “face of the franchise”, and one of the more beloved Astros in club history.
Photo: Roy Luck. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.