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The Houston Astros have reportedly been aggressively pursuing a free agency reunion with franchise legend Alex Bregman. But after the Juan Soto sweepstakes ended and the New York Yankees began targeting Bregman as well, Houston’s odds of retaining the infielder dropped dramatically.
On Friday evening, the Astros traded outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for a package led by corner infielder Isaac Paredes. Paredes can play both corner infield spots, but he certainly looks to be the replacement for Bregman at third base.
FanSided’s Zachary Rotman believes the same thing. Rotman expects Bregman to sign elsewhere following the trade that brought Parades in to replace the longtime Astros third baseman.
“Let me make one thing very clear. There is a path for the Astros to bring Alex Bregman back. Paredes is primarily a third baseman but does have 71 games at first base in his career. The Astros can conceivably bring Bregman back to man the hot corner and move Paredes across the diamond for first base. Is that likely though? It doesn’t feel like it,” Rotman wrote. “It feels far more likely that Houston will keep Paredes at third base and pursue a guy like Christian Walker on a cheaper deal than what Bregman will get. That’s by no means a guarantee, but it wouldn’t be a shocking outcome at all at this point.”
It feels like Paredes is being brought in to replace Bregman. The Astros were seen as the favorites to retain the World Series hero, but with the Yankees in aggressive pursuit of Bregman as well, there’s almost no way the Astros can match the money that Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is willing to pay.
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The post Astros Predicted To Cut Ties With $119M Star Following Kyle Tucker Trade appeared first on Newsweek.
