The Houston Astros are expected to be one of the best teams in baseball this season after bringing back virtually the same roster from last year with Josh Hader as their marquee addition.
A third World Series championship would cement this era of Astros baseball as one of the best dynasties in MLB history.
This year could also signal the end of another franchise cornerstone's tenure with the organization.
Alex Bregman becomes a free agent after the 2024 season and likely will have multiple suitors as one of the premier third basemen in the sport.
That is if Houston even lets him get to free agency.
They could offer him a contract extension, something they did with Jose Altuve as he was also scheduled to become a free agent following the year, but there has been no movement on that front despite comments from both sides.
Dana Brown said they're going to offer Bregman an extension, but also mentioned there is no timetable to get something done.
The likely time period would be before the Astros welcome in the New York Yankees on March 28 for Opening Day. Players don't normally want to deal with contract negotiations during the season.
However, even if an extension is offered, it doesn't seem like Bregman is going to take it according to his agent Scott Boras.
"Boras said Bregman's situation is quite different than that of Altuve ... Bregman turns 30 next month, and he will be looking to maximize his worth," reports Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
That is pretty par for the course.
Boras likes his clients to hit free agency and see how much money they will be offered.
Bregman could be a special case, though.
He's only spent time with Houston since being taken No. 2 overall in the 2015 draft and has expressed interest in returning.
Ultimately, much of this will be decided on how much the Astros offer him when they finally extend an offer. If it's a lowball amount, then it wouldn't be surprising to see him hit the open market after the season.
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