Astros' goodbye to Alex Bregman becomes official after deal with AL playoff hopeful

When the Houston Astros cleared a significant amount of payroll in recent weeks, by forsaking Kyle Tucker's final year of arbitration eligibility and trading Ryan Pressly to the Chicago Cubs, one couldn't help but wonder if they considered their roster to be lacking something indefinable.

They had a third baseman: Isaac Paredes. They had a second baseman: Jose Altuve, of course. And yet ... there was Altuve, discussing a move to left field in order to accommodate a shift for his longtime teammate Alex Bregman. Maybe Houston wasn't ready for their gilded era to end just yet?

For weeks, the only offer to Bregman that we knew any details of was the rumored six-year, $156 million Astros contract that was declined early. Recent rumors that the Astros had "upped their offer" didn't jive with Dana Brown's references to Bregman in the past tense.

Was Houston lurking, or telling the truth about their expulsion from the bidding? As it turned out, Bregman had other plans (though he might be available again next offseason.

On Wednesday night, Alex Cora won the internal bidding war in Boston, securing Bregman's services (and, yeah, Craig Breslow probably helped, too) on a three-year, $120 million contract with opt outs after Years 1 and 2. If Bregman is looking to boost his numbers in the short term and test the market once again, there are few visions more juicy than the Green Monster (outside of Daikin Park, of course).

Alex Bregman signs with Boston Red Sox over Houston Astros

While the Tigers reportedly offered six years and over $170 million, Bregman chose the comforts of the ballpark (and Boston's contention window) over a reunion with another familiar face, AJ Hinch. A defection to the National League would've been nice, but apparently the Cubs' position in this race was somewhat overblown.

Bregman's career in Houston ended with the worst season of his tenure, colored by a regressing walk rate and an uncharacteristic playoff exit. He'll now get a fresh start in Boston and a prime opportunity to reestablish his value.

Perhaps Brown will come calling again next season after the Astros' payroll resets.