The Houston Astros and star second baseman Jose Altuve agreed to a five-year contract extension through the 2029 season, the club announced Tuesday. The deal is worth $125 million, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network.Altuve also gets a $15-million signing bonus, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
The eight-time All-Star would’ve been eligible to test free agency after the 2024 campaign if he didn’t sign an extension. The 33-year-old was entering his final season under contract after inking a seven-year, $163.5-million deal in March 2018.
The 2017 AL MVP is the first second baseman in MLB history to earn $300 million guaranteed, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic.
Altuve has played his entire 13-year career with the Astros, accruing a .307/.364/.471 slash line with 2,047 hits, 209 homers, 747 RBIs, and 293 stolen bases over 1,668 regular-season games. He’s also a six-time Silver Slugger, three-time batting champion, and two-time World Series winner.
The Venezuelan’s 27 round-trippers in the playoffs are the second-most ever by any major leaguer, trailing only Manny Ramirez by two. The former has collected 55 RBIs with an .851 OPS over 476 plate appearances in the postseason.
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