3 doomsday Alex Bregman landing spots that would haunt the Astros

The Houston Astros could be at the end of their era. The next domino that could fall is their long time third baseman, Alex Bregman, who's set to enter unrestricted free agency this winter.

The Astros will make an offer to try to bring him back, but if they miss out on him, they could be haunted by where he lands.

MLB insider Jim Bowden recently discussed Alex Bregman's upcoming free agency, comparing him to Carlos Correa and George Springer who the Astros missed on in free agency.

"Alex Bregman would love to finish his career as an Astro, but will the organization do enough to keep him? Houston has a history in free agency of saying goodbye to its star players such as Carlos Correa and George Springer, who both departed when the Astros weren’t willing to commit to the long-term contracts they could land elsewhere," Bowden wrote.

Bowden also connected Bregman to a few teams, all of which would come back to haunt Houston if he lands there.

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3. Detroit Tigers

This season, the Detroit Tigers ended the Astros' season when they knocked them out of the postseason in the AL Wild Card round. The Tigers turned their season around midway through the year, launching themselves up the standings and into the postseason, where they eventually topped the Astros.

But the Tigers did this with their front office opting to sell instead of buy. Now that they've proved that they can win, the front office will be inclined to buy during the offseason to put themselves in a better position to win in 2025.

Detroit could be looking to spend the money to bring in a star corner infielder like Bregman, who MLB insider Jim Bowden connected to them. Bregman would bring a veteran presence with a history of winning to Detroit. He would slot in the middle of the Tigers lineup and provide them with some consistency and stability.

The Tigers ended Houston's season in 2024. Now, they could look to steal their franchise third baseman away in free agency. Something like this would haunt the Astros heading into 2025. Especially if these two teams meet in the postseason again.

2. Seattle Mariners

One of the more obvious landing places for Bregman would be within the AL West, an obvious problem for the Astros, with the Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners have one of, if not the best pitching staff in the entire league. They have a full starting rotation of arms that could take over a game at any time, with prospects behind them that could develop into even better arms.

But their lineup is incredibly inconsistent outside of one or two bats. Because of this, the Mariners managed to miss the postseason while having the best pitching staff in the league. This offseason, adding to the lineup will be their top priority and it could be the worst nightmare for teams across the league, especially those within the AL West.

Bregman would slot in perfectly at third base for the Mariners. Last season, he slashed .260/.315/.453 with 26 home runs. He's posted an OPS+ over the league average of 100 in each season of his big league career. There were only three everyday starters in the Mariners lineup that had an OPS+ over 100 last year.

For the Astros, it would haunt them for years to have to play Bregman in the division. Believe it or not, the Mariners wouldn't even be the worst possible landing spot for the third baseman though.

But if the Mariners are a division rival, who could be a more haunting team for Bregman to end up with?

1. New York Yankees

Out of the three teams on this list, this one is the absolute worst case scenario for the Astros. Not only is it the worst-case scenario, but it's also the most realistic, if Bregman is to leave Houston this winter. The worst case scenario for the Astros would be Bregman leaving to go to the rival New York Yankees.

The Yankees cemented themselves as the top team in the American League after they secured the AL Pennant. Now, heading into the offseason, the Yankees are tasked with bringing Juan Soto and Gleyber Torres back, while also exploring other options in case they want to move players around. Jazz Chisholm could move to second base if the Yankees end up losing Torres, but Chisholm could also move to the outfield if they bring back Torres and acquire Bregman.

Either way, the Yankees will be aggressive in free agency. Bregman makes sense for them to pursue and New York would provide the money and the winning upside that Bregman is looking for.

Seeing a franchise legend leave to head to an AL rival would be the doomsday scenario that would haunt Houston for the next four or five seasons.