Astros pivot after botched Nolan Arenado trade is slap in the face to Alex Bregman

When it was reported that the Houston Astros got up to the finish line but were unable to cross it with a Nolan Arenado trade as the Cardinals third baseman vetoed the deal, it felt like the team might come crawling back to Alex Bregman. Instead of turning to the franchise stalwart as a proverbial Plan B, however, Dana Brown and the front office instead have turned their attention to Christian Walker.

According to FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray, the Astros and Walker are in advanced discussions about a free agent contract that would bring the power-hitting first baseman to Houston.

That deal all but guarantees two things. First, it likely means that Isaac Paredes, acquired in the Kyle Tucker trade with the Cubs, will be moving over the third base. It also means that the team has absolutely no interest in bringing a franchise legend in Bre

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Astros signing Christian Walker is slap in the face to Alex Bregman after Arenado debacle

Obviously, this also means that the Arenado trade is not something that the Astros are willing to circle back on, despite reports that was still in play. But Bregman, specifically as it relates to Houston, is the far more interesting piece in this equation. The franchise is treating him on the open market like they absolutely want no part of him returning to a club where he led the way to World Series and a near-dynastic run.

It's been reported that Houston's primary concern when it comes to a Bregman reunion is his age and the length of contract he's looking for. But that's what makes the Walker signing all the more disrespectful from the outside looking in. While it's likely to be a shorter-term deal than the six-year pact Bregman is eyeing, Walker will be 34 years old by April 1 of the 2025 season. This isn't exactly a youth movement for Houston, to say the least.

Furthermore, their taking that step with a hitter who isn't all that dissimilar to what Bregman has been but who could conceivably be more susceptible to a decline given his age. Walker, though he has 21 more home runs over the past three seasons that Bregman, has posted an .813 OPS over that span. Bregman is not that far behind with a .798 OPS but with higher level of defense at a more premium defensive position. They're replacing him with a slightly more powerful but similar hitter and getting worse defense at third base with Paredes.

Maybe it works out for the Astros. But this absolutely feels like galaxy-brain thinking and methodology gone wrong. When you put this into the equation with the Tucker trade too, it feels like a completely unnecessary changing of the guard in Houston and doing so with total disregard for what franchise legends like Bregman have done for this organization.