In the times of players who go to Free Agency, in search of a juicy contract that will resolve their lives, there is a player who prefers to cling to defending his house forever. Venezuelan José Altive signed an extension with the Houston Astros.
Venezuelan second baseman José Altuve signed a five-year contract extension on Tuesday, which virtually guarantees he will finish his career with the Houston Astros.
The agreement is worth $125 million, according to information released by ESPN, and will take him until his 39th birthday.
Altuve has a $26 million salary through 2024, the final season of a seven-year, $163.5 million deal. An eight-time All-Star, the second baseman would have been eligible to declare free agency after this year’s World Series.
His new deal includes a $15 million signing bonus. The figure will be covered as soon as the agreement receives approval from Major League Baseball, said a person familiar with the terms of the contract who spoke to The Associated Press.
The 33-year-old put together another impressive campaign in 2023, slashing .311/.393/.522 in 90 games for the AL West-winning Astros. Altuve was successful even in an injury-plagued campaign, which began with a thumb fracture during the World Baseball Classic preseason.
The Astros announced the extension with a post proclaiming Altuve an “Astro for life.”
With Tuesday’s announcement, the Astros ensured that Altuve – one of, if not the team’s biggest talents – won’t hit the free agency market anytime soon. Altuve’s contract was set to expire after the 2024 season.
- Salary in 2025: 30 million
- Salary 2026: 30 million
- Salary 2027: 30 million
- Salary 2028: 10 million
- Salary 2029: 10 million
Altuve helped the Astros win the first two World Series titles in their history, in 2019 and 22. He was chosen by the AP as the Sportsman of the Year in 2017.
He became the first second baseman with guaranteed career earnings of $300 million.
Source: With information from AP and MLB.com
