Astros' early offensive woes are making their Alex Bregman decision look even worse

Coming into the season, Houston Astros fans were very curious to see if the team's decision to let Alex Bregman leave in free agency was going to prove correct. Bregman was a franchise icon and there was a lot of merit to both keeping him around as well as to use those resources elsewhere on the roster instead.

The Astros obviously chose the latter and Bregman has made that decision look pretty rough to start. Through his first eight games with the Red Sox, Bregman is slashing .314/.351/.486 and appears to be a man on a mission to make Houston regret moving on from him.

Making matters worse, the Astros' offense hasn't exactly lit things up to start the 2025 season. However, those issues seem to extend beyond Bregman's replacement(s) and could be symptomatic of a much more widespread problem.

Astros' offensive problems can't all be blamed on their offseason departures

When any team lets two star level talents like Bregman and Kyle Tucker (who is also playing well to start the 2025 season) go, it is easy to pin any shortcomings on those decisions. It is even easier when you look at the fact that Bregman's replacement at third base, Isaac Paredes, is hitting just .130 and prospect phenom Cam Smith is off to a rough start in filling Tucker's shoes in right field.

The problems on offense extend beyond those issues, though. New addition Christian Walker is off to a slow start and Yordan Alvarez, long one of the best hitters in all of baseball, sports just a .408 OPS thus far this season. Houston has also gotten next to nothing out of Jeremy Peña and Mauricio Dubon through the season's first seven games as well. A cursory look at Houston lineup shows that only Jose Altuve (who had a terrible game against the Twins on Thursday), Victor Caratini, and Brendan Rodgers have been consistent threats at the plate.

No one with actual brain cells should think that the offense will continue to struggle like this. While having a player or two take a step back wouldn't be all that surprising, there is just too much talent in the Astros' lineup for this to keep up. However, it is hard not to think that keeping Bregman could have put the Astros in a much better position early this season.

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