New York Yankees Named A Threat To Steal Houston Astros' Star
![Aug 7, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (2) hits a single and drives in a run against the Texas Rangers during the eighth inning at Globe Life Field. Aug 7, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (2) hits a single and drives in a run against the Texas Rangers during the eighth inning at Globe Life Field.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_7507,h_4222,x_0,y_443/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/inside_the_astros/01j5cw9gk0m969dyx3nj.jpg)
The Houston Astros are hoping to make a late-season run into the MLB postseason. Right now, those efforts are looking very promising.
Heading into Friday's MLB action, the Astros were on an eight-game winning streak. Due to that impressive streak, Houston led the American League West division race by three games over the Seattle Mariners.
While the main focus is on making the playoffs this season, the front office is almost certainly looking ahead to the offseason.
In the upcoming offseason, the Astros are going to have some decisions to make. Two of their own will hit the free agency market in Justin Verlander and Alex Bregman. Both players will receive interest from other teams around the league.
Bregman, in particular, seems like the most likely candidate to leave town. He will have a long list of teams interested in signing him if he is open to leaving Houston.
MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has named the New York Yankees as one of the top teams who could steal Bregman away from the Astros.
"The market for third basemen should be interesting. Besides the Astros and Giants, the teams with obvious needs include the Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Yankees, presuming they move Jazz Chisholm Jr. to second as a replacement for Gleyber Torres."
Obviously, there are many other landing spots than just the Yankees.
During the 2024 MLB season so far, Bregman has played in 116 games. He has hit 19 home runs to go along with 59 RBI and has slashed .261/.318/.445.
Spotrac has estimated the kind of value that teams should expect to pay for Bregman this offseason. They believe that a deal for him will end up around $22.7 million per season.
Houston will have to decide whether or not they think that Bregman will be a piece that can power them back towards World Series contention. If they think he is that kind of a player, they should do everything they can to re-sign him. On the other hand, if they think he's not an incredibly important piece, they shouldn't pay the kind of money it will take to bring him back.
Expect to see Bregman end up being one of the most talked about names in free agency. There seems to be a very real chance that he could leave.