Jose Altuve, Houston Astros agree to $125 million contract extension – Houston Public Media

David J. Phillip/AP

Houston Astros star second baseman José Altuve will be an Astro for life, general manager Dana Brown announced Tuesday.

The Astros and Altuve have agreed to a five-year contract extension, the team announced Tuesday night. The contract will cover the 2025 to 2029 seasons. Altuve will be 39 years old at the end of his contract extension.

“Obviously I have two houses,” he said at a news conference Wednesday, a day after the deal was announced. “I grew up in Venezuela, my country. Every time I go there, I tell my wife, ‘Let’s go home.’ And then when it’s time to go back, I tell her, ‘Let’s go home.'”

Altuve, an eight-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion and 2017 American League MVP, had started talking about free agency last year with his wife Nina.

“I come back every day after a night game and see my daughters sleeping,” Altuve said. “I can wake up the next day and take them to school, so that’s where the conversation started and we decided to ‘Stay here in Houston.’ “We’ll never move out of here.”

Houston Mayor John Whitmire declared Wednesday José Altuve Day, and the date, 7/2, coincides with Altuve’s jersey number. More than a dozen of Altuve’s teammates and coaches attended the news conference along with Hall of Fame second baseman Craig Biggio.

“José Altuve is the heart of this organization,” Astros general manager Dana Brown said. “He is a franchise player. He is on his way to being in the Hall of Fame. He is a fan favorite and, without a doubt, he is the spark of our Clubhouse, of our dugout, and he is an Astro for life” .

Altuve entered the 2024 season in the final year of a seven-year contract extension he signed on March 19, 2018, according to the Houston Astros.

MLB reported that the contract is worth $125 million, including $30 million for each season from 2025 to 2027.

Altuve hit .311 with 15 home runs, 51 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 90 games played last year. He did not make his season debut until May of last year after suffering a broken left thumb when he was hit by a Daniel Bard pitch while playing for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.