The Houston Astros built their dynasty around a core of players who dug them out of a lengthy rebuild. Namely, Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman have been integral to Houston's success over the past decade. Both are multi-time All-Stars who will go down as all-time Astros.
While Altuve is set to be an Astro for life, Bregman's return to the organization in 2025 remains in doubt. The third baseman will be a free agent after the season and is likely to demand top dollar. Several teams will be interested in Bregman, leaving the Astros with competition for their franchise icon.
Altuve issued a resounding statement about Bregman's future with the team. While Altuve is the face of the franchise, Bregman is just as important in his eyes.
“I don’t see any chances of him leaving,” Altuve said, The Athletic. “That might be just me. I really think that, at the end of the season, our front office people, GM and ownership (are) going to get a deal done for him. I don’t think — I’m sure — that we are not only a better team with him, but we are a better organization with him. We really need to make it happen.”
Altuve admitted that he's not confident it will happen. That doesn’t mean he wants to see Bregman in another uniform.
“Maybe it’s just that I don’t want to see it happen, so I don’t think about it,” Altuve said.
Altuve signed a five-year, $125 million contract extension in February. Bregman will probably get more money than that.
Astros eye another postseason run with Bregman decision looming
The Alex Bregman decision is a huge one for the future of the player and the Astros franchise. Before that is settled, Houston would like to think Bregman can be a major reason why they win another World Series.
At the very least an eighth consecutive trip to the ALCS would be nice. It likely doesn’t matter how far the Astros go in the postseason, it won’t persuade Bregman either way. Whether he's already made up his mind about where he wants to play is a mystery. Astros fans would like to think they have the upper hand against other teams when it comes to signing Bregman.
It helps that Jose Altuve is passionate and forthright about wanting the Astros to re-sign Bregman. Letting down the franchise's best active player and an all-time great might not go over well with Altuve, the fans, or his Houston teammates.
“I don’t have control, but if I could, I would just pay Breggy whatever he wants,” Altuve said. “His professionalism, his desire to win and his desire to get better at the stage he is — he’s a superstar — that’s really hard to find. You don’t find a lot of guys trying to get better like he does every single year, every single day. We really need to reward guys like him.”
If Jose Altuve were the owner, Alex Bregman would have gotten paid already. Bregman's free agency will be one of the many sagas to follow during the offseason. Lots of Houston residents will be constantly checking their phones this winter waiting to see where Bregman lands.
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