Astros should've prioritized Alex Bregman reunion over Christian Walker, Arenado

The Houston Astros have found themselves in the headlines as of late, as they've traded Kyle Tucker, gotten rejected by Nolan Arenado and been in a long staring contest with Alex Bregman. Isaac Paredes entered the weekend projected to be the club's third baseman in 2025, but he could've easily slid over to first base to let one of the aforementioned stars take over as Houston's third baseman at any point.

Instead, Arenado recently declined to waive his no-trade clause for a move that would've sent him to Houston for a package that's currently not known. That set off a chain reaction that resulted in Christian Walker, a 34-year-old veteran (who is more appealing than Jose Abreu, but has Houston fans fearing the worst), heading to the Astros and changing the game.

There were lingering rumors in the wake of Arenado's rejection that he might just change his mind and approve a move in the end, but there was always little to no reason for the Astros to sit around and wait for him to determine whether they were worthy of his services. But should they have simply acquiesced to Bregman's demands instead of ostensibly replacing him with a 34-year-old first baseman, committing to nearly $40 million at the position in 2025 between Walker and Jose Abreu?

Instead, they should have just make the move they seemed destined for all along: re-signing Bregman to have him finish his career where it all started. Why deny the obvious?

Astros needed to sign Alex Bregman instead of Christian Walker

Bregman's benefits over Arenado become obvious just by simply putting the two star third basemen alongside the other. Bregman is six years younger and, while he would be more expensive, is also a virtual lock to outperform anything Arenado would do in Houston.

Arenado could very well be headed to the Hall of Fame by the time his career wraps up, but he's coming off of his worst full season since breaking into the league back in 2013 and appears to be on the decline. His glove remains strong, but he's likely already won the last of his 10 Gold Glove Awards as his career nears its end.

On offense, he still hit 16 home runs, drove in 71 and posted a .272 average and .719 OPS, but these numbers are all far from where he's historically been at through his career. He's expensive, risky and frankly not worth waiting around for from the Astros' perspective.

Bregman, 30, has a long list of teams that could use him, but the Astros are at or near the top of that list. He's a two-time All-Star, a former Silver Slugger, two-time World Series Champ and just recently added his first Gold Glove to his trophy case. No matter which way you slice it, he's one of the most accomplished players to ever play in Houston, and there's no reason the club should let him walk in favor of an aging Arenado or three years of Walker, downgrading defensively in the process by relying on Isaac Paredes at the hot corner.

Of course, Bregman comes with his own risk as well as he ages, but his bat has remained consistently above-average over the years and he's still a major run-producing threat every single time he comes to the plate. Why was it worthwhile to sacrifice Bregman's age 31-34 seasons and skip right to Walker's age-34 campaign?

A world where the Astros signed Bregman to come back as their third baseman and shifted Paredes over to first would've been a world where the Astros remained the top dog in the American League West for years to come. Instead, they'll have to hope they can survive Walker's down years and balky obliques.