The Houston Astros have traded their best player, Kyle Tucker, and are letting go of Alex Bregman, who has the most WAR for them since his first full season in 2017. In the meantime, they will pay first basemen Christian Walker and José Abreu a combined $39.5 million in 2025.
The consequences of an unwillingness to go beyond six years on a contract reveal themselves in moments like this. Bregman and Tucker were drafted and developed by the Astros machine, which will struggle to retain its best talent as long as it places arbitrary restrictions on itself. This is an uncapped sport. The best players get more than six years in free agency.
The Astros remain formidable. A team with Walker, Yordan Álvarez, José Altuve, Yainer Díaz, Jeremy Peña, Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, Josh Hader and more. They will be a contender and have the talent to win a World Series. But they are an objectively lesser team than last year, and that's no small thing in a close AL West.
With Christian Walker reportedly headed to the Astros, @Chandler_Rome joined Greg on #MLBTonight to discuss the three-time Gold Glover's fit with the reigning AL West champs.
Possible Astros' lineup in 2025:
2B Jose Altuve
DH Yordan Alvarez
C Yainer Diaz
1B Christian Walker
3B Isaac Paredes
LF ?
SS Jeremy Pena
RF Chas McCormick
CF Jake Meyers
Still room for a LF/DH, corner IF type of player. And the lineup has a lot of RHed hitters, at the moment.