Jose Altuve Hopeful That He Retires With the Houston Astros

Jose Altuve arrived in Spring Training and shared he hopes to retire in Houston

Jose Altuve arrived at Spring Training on Sunday and immediately addressed his contract situation and future in Houston. He was asked about Dana Brown's comments that Altuve should retire an Astro, and offered his full agreement.

I liked when he said that about playing all of my career here. I hope to retire here. I think we are on the same page.

Altuve signed the largest deal of Jim Crane's tenure as owner in March of 2018, agreeing to a five-year, $151 million deal. Alex Bregman signed an extension that offseason as well, so both have two years remaining under the Astros team control.

Dana Brown has alluded to having players to extend after 2024 multiple times. Perhaps no player in the game is as synonymous with their team as Altuve is with the Astros. Extending Altuve is a must.

The diminutive second baseman has played all 1,578 games of his career with the Astros. In 12 seasons, he has racked up 1,935 hits, 379 doubles, 192 home runs, eight All-Star appearances, six Silver Slugger awards, three batting titles, one gold glove, and of course, the 2017 AL MVP.

His playoff resume is even more sparking. He has played 92 playoff games with Houston, the lone Astro to appear in every playoff game of the past decade. In those 92 games, has racked up 23 home runs, the second most in big league history. Altuve took home the 2019 ALCS MVP and has won two rings in Houston.

His playoff resume in Houston is unrivaled, and assuming he plays out the rest of his career here, it's likely he blows past the regular season accolades of Biggio and Bagwell as well.

The Astros go as Altuve goes. Jose played in 96 of the Astros 106 wins this past season. In those 96 victories, he hit .334 with 23 home runs and a 1.034 OPS. He appeared in 45 losses, batting only .226 with a .671 OPS. His performance at the top of the order is tantamount to the Astros success.

Beyond his on-field performance, he has endured the hatred and vitriol thrown his way from opposing fanbases stemming from the 2017 scandal with the utmost grace. Though Altuve was not a participant, he has been made the face of the scandal and has never thrown a teammate under the bus or minimized his role. He has simply taken the criticism on the chin and continued to perform at the highest level. He is the Astros.

His 27 jersey will one day be retired. His statue will stand outside of Minute Maid Park one day. He'll enter Cooperstown wearing an Astros cap. The last thing to do is ensure he plays his entire career in Houston. If it's up to Dana Brown, that's exactly what will happen.