HOUSTON — José Altuve and the Houston Astros agreed to a $125 million, five-year contract that covers 2025-29.
Altuve was heading into the final year of his contract, but the extension keeps him in Houston through the 2029 season. Altuve has a $26 million salary for 2024 in the final season of a $163.5 million, seven-year deal. The eight-time All-Star second baseman would have been eligible for free agency after this year’s World Series.
His new agreement includes a $15 million signing bonus, payable upon the contract’s approval by Major League Baseball, a person familiar with the terms told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because those details were not announced.
Altuve will have salaries of $30 million annually from 2025-27 and $10 million apiece in 2028 and ’29.
Altuve is heading into his 13th season with the Astros, the only team he’s played for in his Major League Baseball career. The eight-time All-Star has been a mainstay in the lineup through the team’s championship run and, according to a post on the Astros X account, will be an “Astro for life.”
According to the Astros, Altuve ranks first in career batting average for the team with a .307 career average. He's third in hits with 2,047, third in doubles at 400, third in runs at 1,062 and third in stolen bases at 293. He ranks fourth in OPS at .834 and fifth in home runs at 209.
A three-time batting champion and the 2017 AL MVP, the 33-year-old Altuve hit .311 with 15 homers, 51 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 90 games last year. He broke his left thumb when hit by a pitch from Daniel Bard while playing for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic and didn’t make his season debut until May 19.
Altuve helped the Astros win their first two World Series titles in 2017 and ’22. He was voted the AP Male Athlete of the Year in 2017.
How much was Altuve's contract extension worth?
Details of the deal weren't disclosed, but according to multiple reports, it'll be record-breaking, in that Altuve would become the first second-baseman in MLB history to make more than $300 million in a career. Here's how Bob Nightengale of USA Today broke it down.
A news conference is scheduled for Wednesday.
