Inside the Astros

What's Next for Houston Astros After Losing Franchise Legend to Boston Red Sox?

The Houston Astros have some questions to answer after officially losing their longtime star to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.

Dylan Sanders

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.
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
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The Houston Astros were not going to give up on their longtime star until they lost him, but that time has finally come.

What's next?

Former Astros All-Star Alex Bregman officially chose the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night and agreed to a three-year, $120 million contract.

Houston had offered the slugger a six-year, $156 million deal.

While that is more money overall, it is $14 million less per year.

Bregman chose the typical Scott Boras route of a short-term contract for a higher AAV. This deal also contains opt-outs after each season, so who knows how long he will actually be with the Red Sox.

The near 31-year-old has been in Houston since being drafted second overall in 2015. He made his MLB debut in 2016, and immediately became a serious contributor.

He locked down the hot corner throughout his entire tenure with the Astros and secured his first Gold Glove Award last season. But since Boston has one of the "faces of their franchise" at third base already, it is expected that Bregman will switch to second base.

Offensively, he struggled more in 2024 than he normally does. It was his career-worst OPS with a .260/.315/.453 slash line. The second half of the year was back to normal, so it looks like it was just an extended cold streak.

It will be a tall task for Houston to replace him after such a long time of sustained success.

Luckily, they didn't bank on getting him back and have made future plans for the position.

Now, it looks as though the newly-acquired Isaac Paredes will be playing third for the Astros this year. He is a promising young slugger who could vault into one of the biggest power threats in baseball this season with his tendency to pull balls matching the dimensions of Daikin Park and the Crawford Boxes.

The soon-to-be 26-year-old had a .238/.346/.393 slash line in 2024, but hit 31 homers and had 98 RBI the campaign before.

Paredes might not be the long-time guy at third with the possibility of him taking over at second for Altuve at some point.

Cam Smith, whom they acquired with Paredes in the Kyle Tucker trade, is their top prospect and a potential elite third baseman.

He has a cannon of an arm and is a massive threat with a bat in his hands.

The future looks bright for Houston at third base, but the short term is going to be tough when it comes to the impact Bregman has made during his time with the franchise.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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