It has nothing to do with not being able to afford them It's all about the owner deciding of he is willing to commit long term. Bregman should be very similar if not the same as Altuve. He doesn't get the same recognition but he has Nobody should ever want to see him in another uniform. And if that's true, sign him for life until he's 40 like Jose. Why is Alex never talked about as an all-time playoff performer and Astto icon? Altuve 22 playoff series. 9 with OPS of .750+ ( only 1 of 8 since 2021 ALDS) 7 with OPS under .600 Bregman 20 playoff series 11 with OPS of .750+ 4 with OPS under 600 And since 2017 ( Bregman's full seasons) they are very close in regular season production as well. Crane made Altuve a life long Astro. Alex is just as deserving.
One bad contract for the face of the franchise is ok. Abreu, Montero, McCullers are horrible contracts, no more.
Signing Bregman to 6 or 7 years would have been a much better (on field) decision than signing Altuve for 5 years. And I am glad they signed Altuve. The problem is the Abreu, Montero, and McCullers deals, not needing to sign Bregman. I see no scenario where the Astros are better in 2025 without him than with him. And he does enough things well to have positive on-field value for at least 5 years and off field value for the remainder of the contract to be acceptable. Alex is younger, and better than Altuve is now. And is close enough historically that he should be considered for a "face if the franchise" contract as well.
I'm putting this right here so we can reference it over the next 5-6 years. Alex Bregman will out perform Jose Altuve for the rest of their careers. It's impossible to say Bregman will perform better vs his contract than Jose, because we have no idea how many years or guaranteed millions Alex will end up with.
Isn’t Bregman like 4 years younger than Altuve? That alone would probably be the reason he outperforms Altuve over the rest of their careers. I don’t think you’re making a super bold prediction there. Perhaps I’m misunderstanding.
Altuve can still take advantage of the crawford boxes but he strikes out way too much and doesn’t walk enough for a leadoff guy. Also, way too many unproductive 1 pitch at bats. Altuve is still a good hitter, but he should be moved down to 5th or 6th in the order. He won’t be, but he should be. If not for Yordan being on the team, I would be looking to make DH Altuve’s primary position for the remainder of his career. Yordan or no Yordan, I don’t think that would ever happen either.
I have floated the idea of delicately and gradually transitioning Altuve to DH over time around here for a few years, but it's always been contingent on Yordong being able to handle LF doodies.
The only point I have is that nobody has said a negative thing about Altuve's extension that takes him through his age 39 season but many people are talking about how terrible it is to offer Alex 7 years which would take him through age 37.
