HOUSTON — The Alex Bregman sweepstakes started at 11:51 p.m. ET Wednesday when the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series to finish the first idle October of Bregman’s major-league career.
Bregman’s biggest priority when picking his next home is ensuring he does not experience another. Money and years will matter, but Bregman doesn’t project as the type of player who will tether himself to a tenuous situation solely for a larger salary. Advertisement “That’s something I want to do for my whole career is win,” Bregman told The Athletic in September.
“That’s what I value the most coming up is winning.” Whether the Houston Astros are equipped to do so is debatable. Across the next five days, the club can have Bregman’s undivided attention to state its case.
A contract extension during this exclusive negotiating window seems unlikely, but Houston does have a chance to pitch its plans for confronting its looming crossroads. Selling Bregman on plans for sustained success is imperative if the Astros are serious in their pursuit of a reunion. Jim Crane is fond of saying the championship window will remain open for however long he owns the club, but misallocated money, an aging roster, aversion to sizable free-agent deals and an abysmal farm system have thrust the promise into peril.
That Bregman has witnessed it all — and has an intimate understanding of the franchise’s standard operating procedures under Crane — makes the next five days far more consequ.