The Houston Astros have been resigned to fate for nearly a month now, but they still don't know exactly what that fate will be.
Though they hoped early in the offseason that they could work out a new deal for third baseman Alex Bregman to stay in Houston, the Astros eventually wound up pivoting. In effect, they closed a deal on a Bregman reunion before he signed anywhere else.
With Isaac Paredes at third base and Christian Walker at first base, the Astros are set to begin a new year without Bregman for the first time since he debuted in 2016. But they'll still be anxious to see where he signs, especially if that place happens to be another American League contender.
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report predicted recently that this exact scenario would come to pass. Miller's free-agent predictions column on Monday included Bregman heading to the Boston Red Sox, who need at least one more right-handed bat to consider themselves contenders.
"For what it's worth, Bregman sure has loved that Green Monster over the course of his career. In 21 games played at Fenway Park, he has triple-slashed .375/.490/.750 with seven home runs and a total of 16 extra-base hits."
Miller also cited Spotrac's projection that Bregman would get a four-year, $120 million contract, which is less than he's reportedly been seeking, but might be as high as any team is willing to pay him at this point in the offseason.
Losing Bregman to the Red Sox might be somewhat painful for Houston, only because Boston looks to be on the come-up.
During the Astros' recent championship era, the Red Sox were one of the few teams to outshine Houston for a single season, and Bregman could help them do so again.
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