Houston Astros Star Posts Cryptic Message on Social Media Ahead of Free Agency

Is this Astros franchise icon indicating anything on his free agency status?

Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Among the many decisions for the Houston Astros to make this offseason, at the top of the list sits the free agency status of franchise cornerstone third baseman Alex Bregman.

Bregman has been with the team throughout pretty much the entire run of American League dominance over the better part of the last decade and signed a 5-year, $100 million deal in 2019 that has finally come to an end and will allow him to hit the open market this winter. As the previous deal played out, it looked like more and more of a bargain every day while stars across the league started signing massive deals year after year.

While his contract this winter isn't going to shatter any records, the number should be considerably larger than the previous deal with Bregman still just at the age of 30. Spotrac currently estimates his market value to be a 4-year deal worth roughly $120 million, a $10 million increase in annual salary. Whether that deal be with Houston or elsewhere, however, remains to be seen. The slugging infielder added another interesting layer on Sunday night with a post on his Instagram thanking fans for their support this season:

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A post shared by Alex Bregman (@abreg_1)

"Astros fans thank you for the support all year long, we came up short this year, but proud of the guys for the effort and the fight," Bregman wrote along with a collection of pictures from the biggest moments of the season.

While it's a post that seems innocuous enough, numerous fans in the comments saw this as a sort of goodbye from Bregman to a fanbase that has welcomed him with open arms since his rookie season. This post is also on the heels of a cryptic tweet from Bregman as soon as the team got eliminated which also was a similar 'thank you' sort of sentiment:

Thank you Houston

— Alex Bregman (@ABREG_1) October 3, 2024

Prior history with how the team has treated its stars hitting the open market such as Gerrit Cole, Carlos Correa, and George Springer indicated that the Astros may be willing to let Bregman walk away and get a fair contract from another team. The predictions on how the situation will play out have been mixed among experts, with some suggesting he will be back and others predicting him to sign elsewhere.

If this really is it for Bregman in Houston, Astros fans will be grateful for everything he has provided to the team and the city throughout his career. But if the team is able to bring him back, it's safe to say those same fans would be ecstatic.