MLB Insider Says Astros 'Are Letting Go of Alex Bregman' After Signing Walker

After signing Christian Walker to a contract, one MLB insider says that officially ends the Houston Astros' pursuit of Alex Bregman.

Apr 19, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Houston Astros third base Alex Bregman stands on the dugout steps prior to batting against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

This offseason is now the second one in a row where the Houston Astros weren't expected to do much, but turned out to be major players in the landscape of Major League Baseball.

Self-imposed financial constraints last winter made it appear like owner Jim Crane wouldn't allow the front office to make moves to improve the roster despite being eliminated by their in-state rivals Texas Rangers in the playoffs.

Yet, they eventually shocked everyone by handing Josh Hader the most lucrative contract for a closer in MLB history, officially pushing the Astros over the first threshold of the luxury tax which they have avoided since Crane bought the team.

With finances at the forefront once again this year, Houston was expected to work out a deal with Alex Bregman that would keep him with the franchise for the rest of his career without doing much else the rest of the offseason.

That couldn't have been further from the case.

The Astros shocked everyone when they shipped Kyle Tucker out of town, getting back pieces to help them win now and in the future.

One of the headliners of the return, third baseman Isaac Paredes, was seen as the potential Bregman replacement since the two sides are reportedly far away on getting a contract worked out. But there was also the thought that they could move Paredes to first base to solve that issue and still bring back their franchise legend.

That likelihood all but ended when Houston agreed to a lucrative contract with slugging first baseman Christian Walker.

Jeff Passan of ESPN all but confirmed that when he posted on his social media account, "The Houston Astros have traded their best player, Kyle Tucker, and are letting go of Alex Bregman ..."

The insider went on to do a deeper dive about this situation as a whole, but that sentence all but confirms that Bregman will be playing for a new team in his Major League career for the first time after being taken No. 2 overall in the 2015 draft.

It's a tough pill to swallow for Astros fans.

This now marks four homegrown players who will be playing for different teams after Houston let George Springer and Carlos Correa walk in free agency, before shipping Tucker out of town and allowing Bregman to go elsewhere this winter.

Their strategy of replacing their stars has worked out before, winning their second World Series title in 2022 when Springer, Correa and Gerrit Cole weren't on the team.

Whether history will repeat itself this time around will be seen.