Exclusive; Altuve, Astros agree to contract extension

The Houston Astros and second baseman Jose Altuve have agreed to a five-year, $125 million contract extension, according to multiple reports. Altuve was scheduled to become a free agent after the 2024 season. Instead, he’ll be locked up until 2029.

Considering he’ll be 39 when his contract expires, it’s not a stretch to say he’ll be an Astro for the rest of his life. Altuve signed a seven-year contract worth $163.5 million or $29 million through the 2024 season. I was surprised to learn that he took a $29 million per year pay cut in recent five years of his current contract.

Although the Astros gave him a generous extension while keeping the very cheap contract they originally signed him to. . Altuve continued to come together when healthy, slashing .311/.393/.522 in 90 games in 2023.

The Astros are also expected to put Alex Bregman on the free agent market after this season. Bregman is slated to make $30 million this year, the final year of a five-year, $100 million contract extension he signed several years ago.

The Astros now have $126 million committed to their 2025 roster, including another $40 million for Altuve, the arbitration cases of Kyle Tucker and Framber Valdez and the option to re-select Justin Verlander. Altuve was always likely to stay in Houston, but Bregman could be entering his final year with the Astros.