Houston Astros star Jose Altuve is set to hit free agency following the 2024 season. Altuve has spent his entire 13-year career in Houston, and fans would be disgruntled to see him leave.
Houston has contacted Altuve about an extension, but nothing has reportedly developed from it. If he were to hit free agency, AI believes he would be the most intriguing player on the open market.
Is Jose Altuve’s time up with the Astros?
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Jose Altuve is currently working on the final year of the seven-year, $163.5 million deal he signed with the Astros in 2018. He is one of the premier middle-infielders in the game and will likely command a big payday.
He is a seven-time All-Star, AL MVP, and World Series champion. He has hit .307/.364/.471 during his career, with 209 home runs and 747 RBIs. That is quite the stat line for the undersized slugger.
Altuve is showing no signs of slowing down, either. Last season, after coming back from a fractured thumb, he hit .311 with 17 home runs and 51 RBIs. Plenty of teams would go into a bidding war to acquire that type of production at second base.
AI has pointed to the rumors that the Astros might prioritize an extension for Alex Bregman over Jose Altuve. If this is the case, it is uncertain if they would have room for both.
Superstar agent Scott Boras represents Bregman as well as Altuve. Boras is known to command top dollar for his players, and Bregman is no slouch. He is coming off a season where he missed just one regular season game, hitting .262 with 25 home runs and 98 RBIs.
If Altuve were to reach free agency, he would be one of the best positional players and one of the best players on the open market, period. There also will be no Shohei Ohtani or Yoshinobu Yamamoto taking up all the free-agency attention.
If a team truly wanted to change their landscape, signing Altuve would be a no-brainer. While he will not be cheap, he is one of the best in the game and has a great personality off the field. He is somebody that the rest of the players in the locker room would look up to and respect.
It will be interesting to see how the Astros handle this. Can they manage to reach an extension, or will this be Altuve’s last season in Houston?
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