The Astros have successfully locked up a potential long-term building block, as Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports that they have agreed to a contract extension with second baseman Jose Altuve. This marks the first major contract commitment under the leadership of general manager Jeff Luhnow, who was hired in December of 2011.
No word yet on the financial details, but the deal is expected to be announced later today. Altuve wasn’t due to become arbitration-eligible for the first time until after the 2014 season. McTaggart speculates that the extension will at least cover his arbitration years, though it’s possible the Astros also bought out a free agent year or two.
Altuve was promoted to the majors in July of 2011 and owns a .284/.325/.377 batting line through 290 career games. The 23-year-old represented the Astros in the All-Star Game last year.
UPDATE: CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reports that Altuve will receive a five-year deal with an option. This means the Astros bought out his final pre-arbitration season, all three of his arbitration seasons, and at least one year of free agency.
UPDATE II: Heyman is now reporting that it’s a four-year deal (covering his final pre-arbitration season and all three of his arbitration seasons) with two option years. Altuve will receive $12.5 million guaranteed. Even though he doesn’t fall under the category of a star, that’s a very reasonable contract.