Houston Astros Predicted To Bring Back All-Star

With the Houston Astros ALCS streak snapped, all attention turns to a franchise legend.

Oct 2, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros third base Alex Bregman (2) runs after hitting a single against the Detroit Tigers during the second inning of game two of the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Minute Maid Park. / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros were eliminated before the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2016. Following a season in which they got off to a poor start, but bounced back, they weren't able to get it done in the playoffs. Now, the focus is on Alex Bregman and his future with the team. ESPN's Bradford Doolittle thinks he will be in Houston for the forseeable future.

Bregman is a free agent and will likely command a huge deal given his pedigree. But there is no doubt he is an Astros legend.

The 30-year-old is ninth all time in bWAR for Houston, sixth in home runs (191), seventh in doubles (265), ninth in RBIs (663) and sixth in OPS+ (132). He has also hit 19 postseason home runs. Bregman has been one of the building blocks of this team.

He is coming off of a season in which he slashed .260/.315/.453 for a .768 OPS with 26 homers, 75 RBIs and 20 doubles, a nice season to head into free agency after.

There has been a lot of speculation as to whether or not he will stay, but Dootlittle believes he will.

"Bregman stays on a long-term deal. It's impossible to imagine Bregman with another team," he says.

The third baseman has been a career long Astro since being drafted in 2015, so it would be jarring to see him in a different uniform. However, Houston may decide to concede to another team offering more money as he is predicted to land a huge contract.

"Make him a career Astro. You could see a deal surprisingly longer in duration than you might expect, but perhaps with more modest average annual values to lessen the tax hit. And there are always deferrals," Dootlittle continues.

This would make sense for the Astros to do. At 30, if the team wants to keep him around long term, they could entice him with that longer deal rather than a shorter one for more AAV.

The team has not been exactly forthcoming about their plans with Bregman, being pretty vague overall. They have a prospect in Shay Whitcomb who would likely replace him should he walk, but it would be difficult to replace that kind of production.

Houston is at a bit of a crossroads and bringing Bregman back would be the best move for them this offseason. Although they still have players like Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker and Jose Altuve, it should be the priority to bring the third baseman back.