Astros, Altuve agree on five-year contract extension
Published
Star second baseman Jose Altuve and the Houston Astros have agreed on a five-year, $125 million contract extension, keeping the former AL MVP and two-time World Series champion in Houston until after the 2029 season, the team announced Tuesday.
Altuve, 33, hit .311 with 17 home runs and 76 runs scored in 90 games with the Astros this season, his 13th with the team.
He missed 72 games due to various injuries, including a fractured thumb at the World Baseball Classic before the season started, and a strained oblique midway through the year.
Altuve was signed by the Astros as an amateur free agent out of Venezuela in 2007, and debuted with the team four years later in 2011.
He didn't take long to establish himself as a force in the lineup, as he earned his first career All-Star nod in his second year and, in 2014, earned MVP votes for the first of five consecutive seasons.
In 2017, Altuve was named MVP after he hit .346, which was the highest average in the major leagues, and added 24 HR. That year the Astros would go on to win the World Series - a title later revealed to be marred by a sign-stealing scandal.
Known for his short five-foot-six frame that produces surprising power, Altuve has led the Astros to a pair of World Series titles - their second in 2022. In 103 career postseason games, Altuve has hit .273 with 27 HR. He was named ALCS MVP in 2019 against the New York Yankees.
In 1,668 career MLB games played, the Puerto Cabello, Venezuela native has hit .307 with 209 HR and 1,062 runs scored.