Potential Kyle Tucker replacement fits Astros' contentious, but longstanding practice

The Houston Astros have been unable to reach an agreement with free agent third baseman Alex Bregman, instead opting to acquire Christian Walker and keep Isaac Paredes at third base. Why? While the average annual value (AAV) is probably close — the Astros reportedly offered a six-year, $156 million deal -- Houston is sticking to their guns and refuses to offer Bregman anything longer than a six-year contract.

This has been a longstanding practice for Jim Crane. The Astros owner has doled out his fair share of contract extensions and free agent offers during his tenure, but the longest deal ever handed out by Crane was the six-year, $115 million deal signed by Yordan Álvarez.

That business model may not work for Bregman, but there are a number of free agents who would be quite happy with a five or six-year deal. One such player is outfielder Anthony Santander. The longtime Baltimore Orioles outfielder is now a free agent, and said to be seeking a five-year contract.

Anthony Santander would help the Astros replace Kyle Tucker in right field

Santander and Teoscar Hernández are two of the biggest free agents remaining on the open market. While Juan Soto commanded a contract that rivaled that of Shohei Ohtani, the same cannot be said of Santander and Hernández.

Many industry experts expect Hernández to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers on a three-year deal, but Santander is rumored to be looking for a longer deal. Though the Astros have yet to be linked to the former O's slugger, his bat would profile quite well in the middle of Houston's lineup.

Santander is a switch hitter who's posted a slugging percentage above .450 the past three seasons and swatted 44 homers in 2024 while keeping his strikeout rate below 20%. Having traded Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs last week, Houston now has a gaping hole in the outfield. Adding Santander, for likely one-third the cost of a Tucker extension, is exactly the type of move Astros GM Dana Brown should be contemplating.

With Tucker gone and Bregman's return all but ruled out, the Astros cannot afford to sit on their hands while top-flight bats come off the board. It's time for Houston to become aggressive in the free agent market, and supplanting Tucker with Santander is exactly the type of bold move that will help keep the Astros in the AL West conversation next season.

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