The Astros locked up one of their few young stars through his arbitration years:

Altuve’s deal with Houston covers his arbitration-eligible years and includes club options for 2018 and 2019. If the options aren’t exercised, he would be eligible for free agency after the 2017 season.

The deal is worth $12.5 million with two club options at $6 million and $6.5 million, according to media reports.

Altuve took a step backward this year, but I suspect the Astros believe as he approaches his prime years, he’ll blossom into a better hitter. More importantly, it signals to the rest of the organization that if you produce, they won’t try to nickle and dime you in arbitration.