Alex Bregman Astros reunion could mean end for another star they can't afford to lose

Alex Bregman is officially a free agent, and is a player that the Houston Astros should want to bring back, obviously, for so many reasons.

He has spent his entire nine-year career with the team. He has come up clutch both in the regular season and in October, as evidenced by his two World Series wins with Houston. He is, undoubtedly, one of the best third basemen in the league. Letting him walk would make the Astros worse, which is the last thing they'd want to happen following their early postseason exit.

As enticing as it is for the Astros to re-sign Bregman and make him a career Astro alongside Jose Altuve, it's far from a slam dunk. Jeff Passan of ESPN ($) details why that's the case.

"Alex Bregman, third baseman: Bregman remaining a lifetime Houston Astro alongside Jose Altuve is a real possibility, particularly with the Astros concerned about ponying up for outfielder Kyle Tucker, who hits free agency after next season and is looking at a $300 million-plus deal," Passan wrote.

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Re-signing Alex Bregman could end Kyle Tucker era with Astros

Bregman re-signing with the Astros would be awesome, but it certainly sounds as if that happens, fellow homegrown star Kyle Tucker's future with the organization would be in jeopardy. In fact, from what Passan wrote, that could be the case even if Bregman leaves given the hefty price tag he's likely going to receive. Tucker is set to hit free agency at the end of the 2025 campaign, as is left-hander Framber Valdez.

If Bregman re-signing makes it unlikely that Tucker winds up being a lifetime Astro, that makes things difficult for the Astros. Bregman is very good, but Tucker is a player with MVP-level upside. He was limited to just 78 games this past season due to injury, but finished fifth in AL MVP voting in 2023. In the 78 games he played this past season, he hit 23 home runs and posted a .993 OPS showing just how dominant of a player he is. On the flip side, Bregman is 31 years old and is coming off a .768 OPS season - a career-low. Tucker continues to improve, and is four years younger. Bregman might be on the downswing even while he's a good player.

Re-signing Bregman should absolutely be at or near the top of their priority list, but if that would mean in the Astros having no shot at re-signing Tucker next offseason, that should give Dana Brown cause to pause. If it is possible for the Astros to re-sign Tucker by letting Bregman walk, it's hard to argue against that being the ideal path.

Letting Bregman go would be tough, but Tucker is the far superior player right now. The dream scenario would be finding a way to retain both, but that doesn't feel possible, or at least likely. If the Astros have to pick between one or the other, as hard as it'd be to let Bregman walk, Tucker should be the priority. The Astros can't afford to re-sign Bregman if it means letting Tucker go.