'He's going to be missed': Bregman's exit leaves void on & off field for Astros

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The signing wasn’t official as of Thursday morning, but that didn’t mean the ripple effects of free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman reportedly agreeing to a deal to join the Red Sox didn’t reverberate through the Astros clubhouse before and after the first official workout of the spring.

The Astros appeared to close the door on Bregman returning to Houston weeks ago, which was evident when they tried to trade for third baseman Nolan Arenado of the Cardinals and eventually landed Isaac Paredes from the Cubs in the Kyle Tucker trade to play third base. Astros manager Joe Espada and general manager Dana Brown wouldn’t say it publicly at the time, but behind the scenes the team had moved on.

“I’m happy for Alex,” Espada said Thursday. “I know the news is not official yet, but I’m happy for him. He made the decision, so now it’s time for all of us just to move forward, turn the page.”

Turning the page means saying goodbye to one of the most popular players in franchise history, a former No. 2 overall pick in the MLB Draft who quickly became a star and was a cornerstone player on Astros teams that advanced to seven consecutive American League Championship Series, culminating with World Series titles in 2017 and ’22.

Bregman’s impact off the field will perhaps leave a bigger void than what he did on the field. He slashed .260/.315/.453 with 26 homers and 75 RBIs and won the Gold Glove Award at third base last season, but even more importantly he was the team’s unequivocal leader on the field and in the clubhouse.

“He’s one of the best teammates I ever had,” outfielder Chas McCormick said. “He was ready to win, ready to compete. He’s not about himself, too. He’ll help the team, help anybody. I try to pick his brain as much as any anybody. I’m happy for him. Make good money, plays great in Fenway. Obviously, I wish he was here with us, but he deserves every penny.”

Bregman, who speaks Spanish, became a sounding board for pitchers last year and would head to the mound during meetings between batterymates to put in his two cents. He offered tips about what pitches should be thrown based on what he was seeing.

“He’s going to be missed,” starting pitcher Framber Valdez said. “His time with the team here, he’s always been the leader. He always gave tips, not only to the hitters, but also to the pitchers. We’re going to be teammates no matter where he’s at.”

The Astros offered Bregman a six-year extension worth $156 million early in the offseason. Bregman ended up agreeing to a three-year, $120 million deal, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, with opt-outs after ’25 and ’26. Brown declined to say how active the Astros had been in discussions with Bregman’s camp in recent weeks.

“I’m happy for Bregman,” Brown said. “He had a great run here. That’s all pretty much I can say about it.”

Bregman posted a 39.6 career bWAR in his nine seasons with the Astros, making the All-Star team in 2018 and ’19. He finished second to Mike Trout in the AL MVP voting in ’19 and has posted OPS+ numbers of 134, 122 and 118 the past three seasons. He’s also one of the biggest clutch performers in playoff history with 19 homers and 54 RBIs in 99 playoff games.

Bregman is one of four key members of the ’22 championship team to move on this winter. In fact, Jose Altuve is the only remaining player who was in the starting lineup for the Astros on Opening Day 2020. The club earlier traded Tucker and Ryan Pressly to the Cubs in separate money-saving deals, and they let Justin Verlander walk in free agency (Giants). Paredes and veteran first baseman Christian Walker, who was signed to a three-year deal in December, were key offensive additions by the new-look Astros, but the void left by Bregman is massive.

“I thought Breggy was our leader last year,” McCormick said. “We’re going to need to find another one. Obviously, we’re still a really good team. We lost some guys, but we’re still going to be good this year. We know what we’ve got and I think we’re going to be great. We’ve got some good additions and the next couple of days we’ll find out who can lead this team.”