According to one MLB insider, if the Houston Astros lose Alex Bregman to free agency this winter, they would attempt to replace his bat with, perhaps, the greatest slugger on the market.
The Astros are a club worth keeping an eye on in the coming weeks and months. After an unexpectedly slow start to the 2024 season. Houston fought back, winning another AL West title late in the season. It appeared that they were on track for another deep postseason run.
However, their season came to a rapid end when they were ousted in just two Wild Card Series games by the Detroit Tigers. Their 88-win season and being quickly bounced from the MLB playoffs shows the ‘Stros need to make changes if they hope to get back to being a serious World Series contender again.
However, they must retain their finest players, and Alex Bregman is quite likely to play elsewhere in 2025. The team’s great is reportedly asking for a deal worth at least $200 million in free agency. And it appears that the organization is unwilling to meet that number. Furthermore, promising star Kyle Tucker is reaching the end of his current deal.
If Houston loses one of their finest players in the last decade this offseason, ESPN MLB insider David Schoenfield believes they will replace him in the lineup with a certain free agent slugger.
The Houston Astros expect to replace Alex Bregman with Anthony Santander this offseason
“[Anthony] Santander isn’t a top-10 free agent but this would be a ripple effect of losing Bregman. The Astros will need to replace that offense and don’t have any strong internal candidates, plus the outfield is thin beyond Tucker (aside from when Yordan Alvarez plays left field, but it’s time to just make him the full-time DH),” Schoenfield wrote.
“Santander would fit in nicely in left and the middle of the Houston lineup.”
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The Baltimore Orioles slugger has emerged as one of the AL’s finest power hitters in recent seasons. In 2024, he scored 44 runs for the Os, setting a career high. The 30-year-old is in the peak of his career and would undoubtedly fill the power vacuum in the Houston Astros lineup if Bregman left.
Furthermore, he is more likely to get a deal worth $100 to $120 million this summer. This is a figure that the club is considerably more willing to pay this winter.
