Rumored Kyle Tucker trade would signal the end of Alex Bregman's time in Houston

The Houston Astros are a contender in transition. While Dana Brown hopes to contend for an AL West title again next season, he understands the tough reality the Astros face right now. Alex Bregman is a free agent and likely headed elsewhere. Kyle Tucker is only under contract for one more season, and the Juan Soto deal changed his expectations, and rightly so.

Tucker is not Soto, and won't command a $700+ million deal by any means. However, he is still one of the best slugging outfielders in baseball at his best. Tucker has made three straight All-Star teams, and had a 4.7 WAR in just 78 games in 2024. Assuming he can stay healthy in his walk year, Tucker is a good bet to be one of the top free agents on the market next winter.

Jim Crane can afford Tucker. He can afford a lot of things as the owner of a professional baseball team. However, is that money best spent on Tucker, or improving the roster in more ways than one? The Astros have answered that question with their actions at the winter meetings.

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Kyle Tucker trade rumors are bad news for possible Astros-Alex Bregman reunion

Tucker has garnered trade interest from several contenders, including the Cubs, Phillies and Yankees. Chicago appears to be the frontrunner as of this writing, as some of their trade package for Tucker has reportedly leaked.

Per Chandler Rome and Ken Rosenthal, much of the Cubs offer is centered around Isaac Paredes – a player the Astros coveted at last year's trade deadline – as well as Seiya Suzuki. Houston also likes third base prospect Cam Smith. If a trade were to occur, this all seems like bad news for an Astros-Bregman reunion, which was always unrealistic to begin with.

As much as Astros stars like Jose Altuve prefer to keep their core in tact, Bregman is on the wrong side of 30, and Tucker will cost Houston more than they can afford. The Astros of old must change their approach if they hope to keep contending in the American League, and Brown is operating under that assumption.