Houston Astros May Have Little Choice But to Trade Franchise Icon

The Houston Astros may have to make a drastic move to get under the luxury tax threshold.

The Houston Astros are in a financial pickle. Their television rights deal is up in the air causing anxiety about the money situation in Houston. Owner Jim Crane is cutting back on spending this winter, hence the lack of any real free agent signings or even rumors that the Astros could bring in an impact player.

It has prompted speculation of a potential trade of third baseman Alex Bregman and more recently starting pitcher Jose Urquidy. 

However, earlier this month general manager Dana Brown said the team has "no interest" in trading franchise icon Alex Bregman. Publicly, that's a nice statement to make but there are plenty of reasons why it makes sense. 

For starters, Bregman is on the final year of his contract and according to everything we have seen, it looks unlikely that Houston will make a real attempt at extending him. Instead, they will look to prioritize keeping Jose Altuve and Kyle Tucker around long-term. 

Secondly, Bregman is slated to earn $28.5 million in his final year with Houston. Getting that off the books gives the Astros plenty of financial flexibility to address other holes in the roster while allowing someone like Mauricio Dubon to help handle the load at the hot corner, a position he has seen time at in each of his last three seasons. 

Finally, with such a thin free agent market for third base, Bregman could fetch an incredible return, even with just one year left of team control. Houston could receive some promising prospects in a return haul and help replenish their depleted farm system that sits dead last in baseball. 

While Houston may not be interested in moving Bregman, all the signs are pointing to why they should.