Alex Bregman's Red Sox debut will have Astros fans second-guessing Houston's decision

The Houston Astros made the decision this offseason to move on from third baseman Alex Bregman, but after seeing his spring debut with the Boston Red Sox over the weekend, the organization may be having second thoughts.

Now, it's just spring training, so there's no need to go overboard. But the Red Sox had to love what they saw from their newly-signed $120 million investment. Bregman went 3-for-3 with a home run in his Grapefruit League debut for the Red Sox on Sunday versus the Toronto Blue Jays.

Bregman, who's been drawn into a bit of a controversy with All-Star third baseman Rafael Devers this spring, launched a 1-2 pitch over the left field wall during the second inning of the Red Sox's spring training contest against the Jays. Bregman singled in the first and followed up his homer with a double in the fifth inning before being removed form the Red Sox lineup in the sixth.

Alex Bregman's Red Sox debut will have Astros fans second-guessing Houston's decision

Any time you lose a star like Bregman, it's going to affect the lineup. Houston did a solid job of offsetting the loss — both on the field and in the clubhouse — by trading for Isaac Paredes and signing free agent first baseman Christian Walker to a three-year, $60 million deal. But with Jose Altuve's potential move to left field and Houston's incessant desire to trade for Nolan Arenado, one has to wonder if Dana Brown and the Astros front office are rethinking their offseason strategy.

Re-signing Bregman would have been costly, yes. And there's no way that Houston was ever going to match Bregman's ridiculous offer from the Red Sox that will pay the two-time All-Star an average of $40 million per season. But if you look closely at how Bregman's deal is structured, the deferrals make the three-year pact with Boston much more palatable.

There's no reason to panic, Astros fans. The situation with Altuve in the outfield configuration will play itself out this spring, and the Astros landed Cam Smith in their trade with the Chicago Cubs, which could give Houston a potential replacement for Bregman at third base. But there's something about seeing Bregman wearing a Red Sox jersey that just doesn't sit well, and seeing him have success while doing it only pours salt into the wounds.

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