The Houston Astros have been one of the most dominant teams in baseball in recent memory.
Houston won the 2017 and 2022 World Series, and one of the biggest pieces of both championship squads was third baseman Alex Bregman. He has been a key piece for the Astros over the last nine years, but he will be a free agent. His future with the team is murky at best right now.
Bregman is going to get paid well this winter, and the Astros can't keep everyone. They likely will at least make Bregman an offer, but other teams will be able to do so as well. There were rumors throughout the summer that Bregman could be moved, but he wasn't traded.
Free agency is a whole different conversation, and the Astros will need to decide whether or not to hand him a deal projected to be around $165 million.
FanSided's Zach Pressnell attempted to predict where the top free agents will land this winter and predicted that Bregman will leave Houston for the New York Yankees.
"Alex Bregman is an Astros legend," Pressnell said. "In a Hollywood movie, he would re-sign with the Astros and ride off into the sunset as an Astro for life, but we don't live in a Hollywood movie, and Bregman will go where the money is. There are a ton of different teams that could use a player like Bregman.
"Based on the Matt Chapman contract extension (six years, $151 million), there will only be a few teams in the league that can afford to pay Bregman in that range. If it was going to be the Astros, they would have already extended him by now. I see him leaving Houston this offseason. My prediction for Alex Bregman is that he signs with the rival New York Yankees, effectively moving Jazz Chisholm to second base."
This isn't the first time New York has been floated as a landing spot. When Bregman was in trade rumors, New York was mentioned as a fit because the club mightily was struggling at third base. Now, the Yankees will have a chance at him in free agency.
This isn't a report but is just speculation, but it does make sense and is realistic.
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