Astros make wise decision locking up MVP Jose Altuve long-term
The Houston Astros broke the bank to extend MVP infielder Jose Altuve.
The news was first reported by Brian McTaggart of MLB dot com. Altuve’s new contract extension is for five years and worth a whopping $151 million. McTaggart also notes that this extension marks the largest deal in the club’s history.
This is a win-win for the Houston Astros and Jose Altuve. For those who don’t know, Altuve was not regarded as a prodigious talent before he entered the league. He was initially considered to be too short to make it at his first team tryout. But that didn’t keep him from trying and he was eventually signed as an undrafted free agent.
That was 11 years ago. Now, just over a decade later, he’s the richest player in Astros franchise history. That’s the kind of sports story we all love seeing. Someone overcoming daunting obstacles and beating the odds.
For Altuve, this is a well-deserved deal. Entering his age-28 season, he’s thus far slashed .316/.362/.453 with 84 home runs, 403 RBI and 231 stolen bases. Those are indeed elite numbers. And his resume reflects that, winning the AL MVP award in 2017 while being named an all-star in five of the last six seasons. He’s also won a Gold Glove and four Silver Slugger awards.
Last season was perhaps the best of his magnificent career. He slashed .346/.410/.547. You just don’t see that kind of dominance very often. In his last four seasons, he’s batted no lower than .313. And in era where stealing bases isn’t as prominent as it used to be, Altuve has swiped 156 since 2014. One of the fastest players in baseball at the moment, he’s scored 561 times during that span.
Standing at just 5’6″, he’s hit a career-high 24 home runs in each of his last two seasons. The 27-year-old second baseman is in the prime of his of career. Each season seems to be more brilliant than his last.
This was a wise decision on the Astros’ part. Prior to this extension, Altuve could have become a free agent by age 30. And if Houston wasn’t going to give him that huge chunk of cash, plenty of other teams would’ve been more than willing to do the same.
Even with superstar Carlos Correa on board as part of MLB’s youth movement, Altuve looks like the face of this franchise. This is the kind of contract it takes to get the cream of the crop in this league. There’s a case to be made that even the best players are slightly overpaid, but in Altuve’s case, his career suggests he’s earned every penny.
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The extension kicks in at the start of the 2020 season, which means the Astros will have him until he’s 34. Even if he sees a bit of a decline in production those last couple years, he still figures to be a top-tier player by that point.