Houston Astros General Manager Hints at Surprising Shift Away From Star Free Agent

The Houston Astros may have moved on.

Jul 31, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown addresses the media in the dugout prior to a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Minute Maid Park. / Erik Williams-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros have been at the center of one of the more wild free agencies we have seen in a long time.

It's not often a player of Alex Bregman's caliber stays available into February, but that is exactly the way things have played out here with the status between the star and the team taking more twists and turns than can be counted any longer.

At the outset of the offseason, it seemed more likely than not Bregman would be back with the only professional franchise he has ever known. But the longer things went on without a signature, the Astros had to begin making contingency plans, eventually shipping Kyle Tucker out of town and bringing in a new third baseman in the process before shelling out cash to upgrade first base as well.

At that point, it appeared the dream of bringing back Bregman was dead, or at least on life support. In recent weeks however, Houston has resurfaced as a potential option, with reports of the two sides being re-engaged and Jose Altuve being willing to move to the outfield in order to make everything work.

Since those initial claims however, there has been very little new movement between the star and the ball club, and now general manager Dana Brown may have not so subtly admitted to media that the franchise sees the Bregman shipped as having already sailed.

Per Chandler Rome of The Athletic, Brown was speaking at the Astros annual media luncheon and referred to Bregman multiple times in the past tense, even referring to the fact the team 'lost' the two-time All-Star.

Unless Brown is simply using a masterful negotiation tactic - something which isn't completely out of the question - it seems both sides are going to move on and Bregman will wind up playing elsewhere for the first time in his career.

From Houston's perspective, while of course they would love to retain one of the faces of their franchise and a critical piece of their dominant run of success, it likely makes more sense now and in the future to move on.

For one, they already have Bregman's replacement lined up and ready to go at third base, but with the departure of Tucker, the Astros have the chance to turn the page as a franchise and hopefully get back to contention without a complete rebuild.

Signing Bregman to a large long term deal will potentially handicap them in the years to come and the reality is that his best baseball is behind him.

It's not to say he's a bad player by any means, but with numbers starting to dip and on the cusp of turning 31 years old, letting Bregman walk is not going to cripple the franchise, and it seems Brown knows that.

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