Houston Astros, Jose Altuve reportedly agree to $151M extension

Second baseman Jose Altuve is the reigning American League MVP, and the Houston Astros are set to reward him with a contract that'll pay him like one.

Altuve and the Astros have agreed to a five-year, $151 million extension that will begin in 2020 and go through his age-34 season, according to multiple reports Friday. Altuve has two seasons remaining on the team-friendly contract he signed with the Stros in 2013 (four years, $12.5 million, with two option years). He will make $6 million this season and $6.5 million in 2019 before his new deal kicks in.

His new contract is the largest the Astros have handed out in their history, blowing past Carlos Lee's six-year, $100-million deal signed in 2006.

Altuve, 27, won the MVP last year after hitting .346 with 24 home runs, 81 RBIs and 32 stolen bases. He eclipsed the 200-hit mark for the fourth straight season, leading the league on each occasion, and won his third batting title in the last four years.

Altuve, a five-time All-Star, finished third in the MVP vote in 2016, when he hit .338 with 24 home runs, 96 RBIs and stole 30 bases.

On his new deal, Altuve, who stands 5-foot-6, will be the sixth player in major league history to average $30 million annually, joining Zack Greinke ($34.4 million), David Price ($31.0M), Miguel Cabrera ($31.0M), Clayton Kershaw ($30.7M) and Max Scherzer ($30M).

--Field Level Media