Jose Altuve sends stern warning to Astros front office about Alex Bregman

The Houston Astros have appeared in seven straight Championship Series and won two World Series dating back to the 2017 season. The main constants in the Houston clubhouse throughout have been Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman. They survived the aftermath of the sign-stealing scandal as well as their own personal contract drama. Altuve signed an extension last year. Now, he hopes it's Bregman's turn.

Bregman will be a free agent this winter, and he's a Scott Boras client. Boras prefers to take his players to the open market in an attempt to max out their value. While the Astros third baseman is having a subpar year by his standards -- a .749 OPS compared to his career average of .846 -- he'll still be one of the more sought-after corner infielders in free agency thanks to his pedigree, locker room presence and what remains in his bat.

Altuve is willing to do his part to keep his longtime teammate around, and made a plea to Dana Brown and the Astros front office this week.

“I don’t see any chances of him leaving,” Altuve said. “That might be just me. I really think that, at the end of the season, our front office people, GM and ownership (are) going to get a deal done for him. I don’t think — I’m sure — that we are not only a better team with him, but we are a better organization with him. We really need to make it happen.”

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Jose Altuve begs the Astros front office to keep Alex Bregman

Altuve, who is also a Boras client, said he would pay Bregman "whatever he wants" this coming winter, though he understands baseball is a business. As for the player in question, Bregman has made it clear that he prioritizes winning, which is what he values about playing in Houston.

“I’ve learned a lot about the game of baseball and been fortunate enough to play for an organization that values winning and has been in the playoffs every single year competing,” Bregman said. “That’s something I want to do for my whole career is win. That’s what I value the most coming up is winning.”

Bregman not playing up to his usual standard in a contract year complicates matters. Brown and Houston can't afford to lowball him, but will they still be willing to pay his market value, especially with the risk that he's on the downswing? Bregman is just 30, and is a near-40 WAR player over the course of his career. He's on a Hall-of-Fame pace, and would go down as an Astros legend if he spends the majority of his career there.

The Astros have bigger goals right now, including another Championship Series and World Series appearance.