An errant pitch during the 2023 World Baseball Classic kept Houston sparkplug Jose Altuve sidelined … [+]
The shortest man in the major leagues is getting a contract extension that belies his size.
The Houston Astros announced Tuesday they have given second baseman and leadoff man José Altuve a five-year, $125 million guarantee that extends through 2029.
The deal, which includes a $15 million signing bonus, begins after the current season and gives Altuve annual salaries of $30 million a year from 2025-27 and $10 million each in 2028 and 2029.
He’ll earn a $26 million for 2024 under a previous contract that would have expired after this season.
It’s the third extension for Altuve, who has spent his entire career with the Astros.
Altuve, who turns 34 in May, has led the American League in hits four times, batting three times, and stolen bases twice.
The Venezuelan infielder, generously listed at 5’6″ tall, has scored 100 runs in four different seasons and has a single-season high of 31 home runs.
The eight-time All-Star has won six Silver Sluggers and two World Series rings. But his figures declined last year after he missed the first two months of the season when his thumb was broken during the World Baseball Classic.
He also missed time later with an oblique strain but still hit .335 over the second half to help the Astros reach the American League Championship Series for the seventh straight season.
A right-handed hitter with surprising power, Jose Altuve is one of the best-hitting middle … [+]
The little right-handed hitter broke into the majors in 2011, then became a regular the following year. He is considered “the Face of the Franchise” by Houston fans but reviled by rivals for his alleged participation in the team’s electronic sign-stealing scheme during the 2017 World Series.
That scandal cost the jobs of manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow.
Dana Brown, hired as Houston’s general manager early last year, was determined to keep Altuve with the Astros. Shortly after his hiring, he said the second baseman should be in Houston “for life.” Altuve said days later that he hoped to retire as an Astro.
The new deal extends through his age-39 season. If he fulfills the contract, Altuve will have spent 19 seasons in Astros livery.
A .307 career hitter with 209 homers and 273 stolen bases, Altuve has proven even more potent in the post-season. He’s hit 27 home runs – four of them during the World Series – in 103 post-season games.
Although Altuve is a client of Scott Boras, the methodical super-agent notorious for lengthy negotiations, his return to the Astros had long been considered a done deal by Houston fans and media.
The team might have a harder time, however, keeping third baseman Alex Bregman who remains eligible for free agency after this season.
Already gone from the 2023 Astros are manager Dusty Baker, who retired at age 74; catcher Martin Maldonado, a free agent who signed with the White Sox; relief pitcher Ryan Stanek; and outfielder Michael Brantley, who retired.
Former bench coach Joe Espada, Baker’s successor, hopes a happy Altuve and newly-signed lefty closer Josh Hader (five years, $95 million) will help dethrone the Texas Rangers, a divisional rival that won its first world championship last fall.
In addition to Altuve, the Astros have given contract extensions to slugger Yordan Alvarez and pitcher Cristian Valdez. They also hope to keep pitcher Framber Valdez and outfielder Kyle Tucker, who become eligible for the open market after next season.
Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY reported the details of the Altuve contract.
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