Astros fans fear Alex Bregman contingency has Jose Abreu debacle written all over it

So the Houston Astros made an actual offer to third baseman Alex Bregman. That's the good news. The bad news is that Bregman will almost surely turn it down. According to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, the Astros proposed a six-year deal worth about $156 million. That's nothing to sneeze at, but it's unlikely to be enough to lure Bregman back to Houston.

If that's Houston's last, best, and final offer, Astros fans had better ready themselves for Bregman's departure. The free agent infielder is said to be looking for a deal closer to $200 million, and based on owner Jim Crane's previous comments, it's doubtful the Astros will offer anywhere close to that number.

Astros' fans fear Alex Bregman contingency has Jose Abreu debacle written all over it

But, McTaggart's reporting also relayed that Houston has a backup plan in place if Bregman signs elsewhere this winter. According to the Astros' beat writer, free agent first baseman Christian Walker could be on Houston's shortlist if Bregman doesn't return.

Walker is a three-time Gold Glove Award winner and has put up terrific numbers with the Arizona Diamondbacks over the past three seasons. The 33-year-old has posted an OPS of .800 or higher since 2022, with 95 homers and 281 RBI during that three-year stretch.

But while Walker's numbers are solid, Astros fans may not like that line of thinking. Why? Because two years ago, Houston doled out a three-year deal to José Abreu and the Astros are still feeling the effects of that disastrous free agent signing.

Abreu had a fantastic stretch with the Chicago White Sox before signing with Houston during the 2022-23 offseason. The former AL MVP racked up 64 home runs and 252 RBI in 369 games from 2020-2022 with an .855 OPS. The Astros then signed Abreu to a three-year, $58.5 million contract hoping he'd bring that same type of production to H-Town. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

Abreu couldn't hit water if he fell out of boat. The veteran hit just .237/.296/.383 during his first season with the Astros, but things got even worse last season. Abreu was so bad that the Astros actually optioned him to the minor leagues. Even the tuneup didn't fix things, and Houston released Abreu last summer. The Astros are still on the hook for Abreu's $19.5 million salary for the upcoming season.

Rather than signing Christian Walker, the Astros should re-sign Alex Bregman

So while Walker might be a fine option if the Astros fail to re-sign Bregman, you'll forgive the Houston faithful if they're becoming a bit nauseous at the idea of signing a veteran free agent first baseman to help supplement the roster.

Here's an idea — just re-sign Bregman to a longer deal with the same AAV as the six-year pact you just put forth. If the Astros offered Bregman a seven-year, $182 million contract, chances are pretty good that he'd sign it.

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