The face of the Houston Astros franchise just got hit with some serious shade. Bleacher Report ranked Jose Altuve‘s $125 million extension among the cringiest contracts in baseball—and while that may sound like sacrilege to Astros fans, there’s logic behind the burn.
A Fan Favorite, But Father Time Doesn’t Miss
Altuve has been the heartbeat of the Astros for over a decade. He’s a former MVP, a two-time World Series champ, and one of the most beloved players in franchise history. But nostalgia doesn’t win games, and through the first half of 2025, Altuve’s production has fallen flat enough to raise some uncomfortable questions.
Altuve is slashing .261/.320/.410 this season with 12 home runs, 34 RBIs, and six stolen bases. Not terrible. But not $125 million through 2029 is not good enough, either. He’s also sitting at -0.4 bWAR—yes, that’s a negative Wins Above Replacement—for a team trying to keep its stranglehold on the AL West.
That’s not the profile of a contract aging gracefully. That’s the profile of a front office hoping things turn around soon.
When the Bad Looked Worse
It’s not just the full-season line that triggered Bleacher Report’s alarm bells—it’s how much worse things looked earlier this year. Through the first 49 games of the season, Altuve had just 6 home runs and a brutal .629 OPS. The Astros were sputtering, and the optics were rough: Alex Bregman, the other half of Houston’s longtime core, was thriving elsewhere in MVP conversations. At the same time, Altuve looked like a guy who had overstayed his welcome.
The team let the 31-year-old Bregman walk and then handed a massive extension to the 35-year-old Altuve. At that point in May, it looked like sentiment had overtaken sense.
A Midseason Rebound Buys Some Goodwill
Altuve has bounced back in a big way. From May 22 to June 18, he posted a 1.036 OPS and looked like vintage Altuve again. Over that stretch, he was on a pace to hit 54 homers and drive in 135 runs over a full season. If that’s the version of Altuve, Houston will move forward; no one will be crying about the contract.
But that’s a big “if.” A few hot weeks don’t erase the early-season slump—or the longer-term trend.
Contract vs. Club Direction
Houston’s decision to reinvest in Altuve makes sense on an emotional level. He’s the team’s legacy player, a clubhouse leader, and a marketing icon. But this is a club that watched Bregman walk for essentially nothing (a fourth-round comp pick) and replaced him with… vibes? That makes the optics of Altuve’s extension even more challenging to justify.
The Astros are still in first place, but it’s hard to ignore that key players—Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, and Christian Walker—are all carrying negative WAR at the midway point. It says something that, despite this, Houston still has a “somewhat comfortable” lead in the AL West, as Bleacher Report noted. But eventually, that margin could vanish.
Not a Disaster, But Still Cringe-Worthy
Altuve’s contract isn’t as bad as Bobby Bonilla’s. He remains productive in stretches and brings a significant contribution to the team. But $125 million for a player trending toward replacement-level metrics is enough to raise eyebrows—even in Houston.
The good news? If Altuve keeps mashing the way he has since late May, this deal might look more awkward than awful. But if he regresses again, Bleacher Report’s call won’t just be right—it’ll look generous.
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