As the Houston Astros' seven-year streak of American League Championship Series appearances comes to a close, they find themselves facing an uncertain future.
Wednesday's 5-2 loss to old friend A.J. Hinch and the Detroit Tigers put the Astros' reign of terror against the rest of the AL on pause. But now, Houston has to worry about whether or not their longtime third baseman will stay in town.
Alex Bregman, who has been a part of the Astros organization since they drafted him second overall in 2015, is set to hit free agency. He has had a tremendous career to this point and could be seeking upwards of $200 million, which would be a tough chunk of change for the Astros to swallow.
Bregman seemed to hint that Wednesday could be his last game in an Astros uniform, posting a message simply reading "Thank you Houston" on social media. But his superstar teammate is hopeful Bregman will be back where he has always belonged.
After the loss, second baseman Jose Altuve confessed that he would be "heartbroken" if Bregman left town--but doesn't think it will happen.
“I don’t want to think about my last game with Breggy,” Altuve said, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. “I’m pretty confident he’s going to be our third baseman next year. We have to. We’re not going to be the same organization without him. In my mind, there’s not a chance this is the last game.”
Altuve and Bregman are two of the longest-tenured teammates in the league, having been together since the latter's rookie call-up in 2016. They have two World Series rings together, a combined 11 All-Star appearances, and a dynastic run to look back on.
However, in baseball, all good things must come to an end. Altuve seems to be unable to believe this could be the end of Bregman's time in Houston, but that doesn't mean for sure that it won't happen.
More MLB: Astros slumping $43 million superstar left off playoff roster; is retirement next?
