Astros’ extension to Jose Altuve is looking worse by the day after ice cold stretch

Before the start of last season, the Houston Astros decided to make Jose Altuve an Astro for life, bestowing the diminutive slugger with a five-year, $125 million extension that will run through 2029 and pays him $30 million per year from 2025-2027.

The decision marked Houston's desire to ensure the face of the franchise would never leave Houston, even if it meant moving on from Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, and possibly Framber Valdez this coming offseason.

At the time the deal was handed out, Altuve was coming off another vintage year. He'd hit .311/.393/.522 with 17 homers and a 154 wRC+ in just 90 games after suffering a fractured right thumb during the World Baseball Classic.

Now though, roughly 18 months after signing the big money deal, Altuve's prolonged cold streak (in addition to his recent injury) is making that decision look like a huge mistake.

Jose Altuve hasn't been up to his lofty standards in 2025, and his recent cold streak might leave the Astros with buyer's remorse

Maybe Altuve is starting to come out of it, after going two-for-four with a homer against the Atlanta Braves on Friday, September 12, and following that up with a one-for-two performance on Saturday, though his day was ended early with some discomfort in his right foot that also held him out of the lineup on Sunday.

Still, prior to seemingly breaking out over the weekend, Altuve had been ice cold over his past 21 games, batting just .155 with just two homers over the 90 plate appearances he accumulated over that time. Altuve, of course, hasn't been the only Astros hitter to struggle in recent weeks, but the Astros are paying him like a star, and in 2025, he's been anything but.

Altuve is now 35, and there's a good chance that Father Time could be coming for him. Last year was a step back from his 2023 performance, with him seeing his wRC+ drop from 154 to 127. That's still a respectable number, of course, but Altuve was significantly worse in the second half, watching his OPS drop 65 points from .815 early in the season to .750 post All-Star break.

This season, the decline has mostly continued. Altuve was ridiculously hot in July, posting a 1.055 OPS, but every other month of the season has seen him top out at a .745 mark or below. The dog days of August were particularly bad, with him OPS'ing .695, and as his frigid streak stretched into September, he owns a .583 OPS month-to-date.

So while at first glance Altuve's numbers haven't been bad this season, there should be more concern than them simply not being up to his lofty standards. He's clearly been declining since the second half of last year, and this recent cold spell is just enough to send a message to the Astros. This contract won't age well, and while it is great for player loyalty, it has cost them the opportunity to retain younger, better players.

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