Astros second baseman Jose Altuve has reportedly agreed to a five-year, $150 million with the club, per a report from Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. It’s not scheduled to take effect until 2020, but is already expected to be the richest contract extension in franchise history and will eclipse the previous six-year, $100 million record set by former infielder/outfielder Carlos Lee in 2006. The Astros have yet to confirm the deal.
There are few players more deserving of a big payday. In addition to his fifth All-Star nomination and fourth consecutive Silver Slugger award, Altuve took home AL MVP honors in 2017 after a monster season at the plate. The 27-year-old superstar slashed .346/.410/.547 with 32 steals, an AL-leading 204 hits and a career-best 24 home runs in 662 plate appearances. According to FanGraphs, it was his most valuable season to date as he racked up an incredible 7.5 fWAR.
Before the new deal kicks in, Altuve will finish out the tail end of the four-year, $12.5 million extension he signed in 2013. He has $6 million and $6.5 million club options for 2018 and 2019, respectively. The Astros exercised his 2018 option at the beginning of the offseason.