Alex Bregman seemingly says goodbye to Astros with way-too-simple tweet

The Houston Astros played their final game of the 2024 season on Wednesday afternoon after falling to the Detroit Tigers in the AL Wild Card Series. And based on Alex Bregman's latest post to his social media account, it would seem that the two-time All-Star has played his final game in an Astros uniform.

Bregman took to X (formerly Twitter) after the game on Wednesday and posted a message saying, "Thank you Houston." That's it? That can't be it, right? Though it may not be the end of Bregman's time as an Astro, he certainly didn't give the fans in Houston a lot of optimism heading into the offseason.

Astros third baseman Alex Bregman will be a free agent this offseason

Perhaps Houston's third baseman was simply saying something along the lines of, thanks for showing up and supporting us all season. But given that Bregman will officially be a free agent shortly after the World Series ends, fans are sure to wonder if he was truly saying goodbye forever. While there is always the hope that Bregman and the Astros front office could come to terms on a contract extension, that seems quite unlikely.

Bregman's contract has been a point of contention since the end of the 2023 season. Both Bregman and fellow infielder Jose Altuve entered spring training this past year slated to enter free agency in the fall. Altuve was signed to a contract extension, but Bregman was not.

Altuve has certainly lobbied for his longtime teammate to get paid, even stating after Houston's Game 2 loss that he's confident Bregman will be the Astros third baseman next season. It's great to see Altuve go to bat for his teammate, but with Bregman so close to free agency, it's highly unlikely that Houston will lock up Bregman to a new deal before he hits the open market.

Jose Altuve's pleas to Astros' management might not be enough to keep Alex Bregman in Houston

Bregman's agent, Scott Boras, has a long history of taking his clients into the free agent market and getting them the best deal available. In rare cases, as Astros fans saw with Altuve last spring, Boras has been able to find common ground with organizations and has helped facilitate long-term contracts before a player reaches the open market.

If this truly was Bregman's final season in Houston, he's left Astros fans with several lasting memories. The Astros took Bregman with the second overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft, and he was a key member of Houston's return to postseason in 2017, multiple AL West championships, and two World Series titles.

The Astros are expected to present a formal offer to Bregman before free agency officially kicks off next month, but the Houston faithful have seen this movie before. Astros fans should be bracing to see Bregman wearing a new uniform in 2025.

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