The Houston Astros have agreed to terms with franchise cornerstone infielder Jose Altuve on a five-year contract that will lock him up through the 2029 season, the team announced on Twitter.
The contract is worth a reported $125 million, according to The Athletic’s Chandler Rome.
Houston will offer their homegrown star a $15 million signing bonus and then pay him $30 million from 2025-27, and then $10 million in 2028 and 2029, Rome reported.
Jose Altuve’s new contract extension has a $15 million signing bonus. It will pay him $30 million from 2025-27 and $10 million in 2028 and 2029, source tells @TheAthletic. Total value of $125 million.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) February 6, 2024
It locks up Tuve, who has spent his entire 13-year career with the Astros, “for life,” as the club noted on Twitter. (RELATED: God’s Favorite Southpaw Hurler Clayton Kershaw Re-Signs With Juggernaut World Series Contender: REPORT)
Jose Altuve will be an Astro for life. pic.twitter.com/ndPHz1lP7E
— Houston Astros (@astros) February 6, 2024
The Venezuelan second baseman has been a core member of the Astros dynasty, collecting eight All-Star nods, an MVP award, multiple batting titles and two World Series trophies in his tenure with the team.
HOUSTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 05: Jose Altuve #27 and Jose Urquidy #65 of the Houston Astros embrace after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies to win the World Series in Game Six at Minute Maid Park on November 05, 2022 in Houston, Texas. Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Altuve was entering the final year of a five-year, $151 million extension he signed in 2018. As USA Today’s Bob Nightengale notes, the newest deal makes Altuve the highest-paid second baseman in MLB history.
Jose Altuve contract
$15M signing bonus
2025: 30 million
2026: 30 million
207: 30 million
2029: 10 million
2030: 10 million
First $300 million second baseman in history— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 6, 2024
While his résumé does sport a minor blemish in the form of his alleged participation in the 2017 World Series-winning Astros’ sign stealing scandal, he is still one of the game’s most beloved players.
The superstar has managed to carve out an incredible career despite being a man of diminutive stature. At just 5’6 he’s one of the shortest players in the MLB. But he’s also one of the best.
HOUSTON, TEXAS – JULY 09: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees stands on second base while Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros looks on at Minute Maid Park on July 09, 2021 in Houston, Texas. Bob Levey/Getty Images
His 2,047 hits are the sixth most amongst active players, just one behind the Pirates Andrew McCutchen.
If he plays out the five-year deal, he’ll have an outside chance of getting to 3,000 hits and be a serious contender to become a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer when he retires.