HOUSTON – Jose Altuve hugged Alex Bregman Wednesday afternoon in the wake of the Houston Astros’ sudden elimination and assured his old teammate, a soon-to-be free agent, “You’ll be back.”

“Now,” Altuve said, “it’s time to make it happen.”

For nine years, Bregman was a stalwart for the Astros, perhaps their greatest producer on the field and undoubtedly the most integral part of their winning culture. Altuve hopes Game 2 of their wild-card series – a 5-2 regular-season loss to the upstart Detroit Tigers – isn’t his last in an Astros uniform.

“We won’t be the same organization without him,” Altuve said. “I don’t think there’s any chance this is the last one.”

In the 2024 season, the Astros overcame a 7–19 start to make the playoffs, becoming the first expansion-era team to do so, but their run of seven consecutive American League Championship Series appearances quickly ended after two wild card games where their offense went a combined 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

“I haven’t really had a chance to process this,” Bregman said of his continued free will. “I was planning on being here tomorrow.”

He went to X after the game and simply posted, “Thanks Houston.”

Bregman, 30, is a two-time All-Star who has posted 38.3 FanGraphs wins above replacement since his first full season in 2017, second-most among major league third basemen. Just as importantly, he has been a central figure in what has become a dynastic run in Houston. Speaking to ESPN earlier this week, Astros general manager Dana Brown sounded optimistic that it would happen.

“I think it’ll work out,” Brown said. “When you get down to it, I think he wants to stay here. I think we want him to stay here. And it’s just a matter of making some kind of agreement.”

The six-year, $151 million extension that Matt Chapman recently signed with the San Francisco Giants is seen as a floor for Bregman’s new contract. Chapman, like Bregman, is represented by super agent Scott Boras, who often implores his clients to maximize their value on the open market, a circumstance that could complicate matters for the Jim Crane-led Astros. Under Crane, the Astros have eschewed free agent prices in recent years and let go of key players, most notably Carlos Correa and George Springer.

Altuve, also a Boras client, was a notable exception, signing a five-year extension worth $125 million in February.

He hopes Bregman is someone else.

“He has given a lot to this organization,” Altuve said. “Now it’s time for us, as a team, as an organization, to pay him back and let him stay here.”

When asked if he would speak to Crane personally about it, Altuve said, “Certainly.”

The Astros have yet to present a formal offer to Bregman, but it is expected to happen in the near future. The end of the World Series ushers in an exclusive five-day negotiating window between teams and their players before the rest of the market opens. The Astros then hope to get an idea of ​​their chances of retaining Bregman.

“I think it’s really important,” Brown said, “and we’re going to try to make a run.”

Bregman made his mark on the Astros not just because of his consistent production or his tendency to come through in big games, but also because of his influence in the clubhouse. The 2024 season provided a multitude of examples. Bregman encouraged Hunter Brown, who threw 5⅔ innings of one-run ball on Wednesday, to throw his two-sealer, a pitch that changed the trajectory of his season. He begged Framber Valdez to start wearing his hair extensions again in late June, after which he pitched like one of the best in the sport. And he continued to mentor an assortment of young players.

“Since day one, I feel like Breggy has taken me under his wing,” Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena said. “Whenever I need advice, he’s probably one of the first people I reach out to, and I feel like he answers every time. Just a great teammate. I consider him a friend, too.”

Bregman got off to one of the worst starts of his career this season, with his slash line hitting just .201/.270/.264 on May 12. But he made an adjustment with his hips and then left, with an .845. OPS for the remainder of the regular season. Not surprisingly, the Astros rose with his bat.

Future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander, who was left out of the playoff roster and will soon face his own uncertain future in free agency, called Bregman “one of the most impressive baseball minds, competitors I have seen in this game. “

“At the beginning of the year he was clearly not the hitter he wanted to be, but he shows up every game in defense and shows up here in the dressing room every day, ready to do his job and also help the people around him .” him,” said Verlander, 41. “Honestly, I can’t say enough good things about him.”

The Astros gave Bregman a nice farewell during their regular season home finale on September 25. He was sent to the field alone as one of his walk-up songs played over the Minute Maid Park speakers, after which he was eliminated and sent outside. a standing ovation. There was no ovation on Wednesday. Bregman hit a grounder to left field in the eighth inning, his team already trailing by three runs, and solemnly jogged back into the dugout. After the Tigers recorded the final out, he stood along the railing to watch them celebrate for a moment, then headed back to the clubhouse.

Bregman then gathered his teammates to tell them how proud he was of the way they fought and the growth so many of them have experienced over the past six months. He called this “one of the funniest seasons I’ve had.”

Uncertainty will be the result.

“I really haven’t even thought about this free agency thing,” Bregman said. “I’ve just been focused on helping this team win ball games. I just wanted to leave everything on the field. Obviously you never know what happens in the offseason, but I just wanted to fight as hard as I could for the win .” the man next to me in the clubhouse.”