The Houston Astros will benefit from signing the versatile All-Star in MLB Free Agency

The Houston Astros the offseason plan will change dramatically if Alex Bregman leaves in free agency. This is a realistic situation they have to consider, so expect them to have a backup plan.

The problem with losing Bregman isn’t just that the Astros don’t have a clear replacement for him.

It would also add another area for improvement to their long list.

Even if Bregman does return, there are other areas that need improvement.

With players on the market that could help them, they could bring in a multi-position guy. Yurikson Profar would be an ideal player as he even has a history of playing first base.

He’s more of a second baseman and left fielder, but given Houston’s struggles at first base, he could help them with something else.

At his potential price, Profar would be an ideal target,

Jim Bowden from Athletic predicted he would sign a three-year, $44 million deal.

“Jurikson Profar was one of the best signings of the 2023-24 offseason. He signed a one-year deal with the Padres with a base salary of $1 million and then had a career year, finishing second in the Netherlands with a .380 hit rate. He hit .280 with 29 doubles and 10 stolen bases.

While Profar won’t be Bregman’s replacement since he hasn’t played third base since 2018, there’s also a scenario where he could move to the hot corner.

The 31-year-old had the best season of his long career, posting a career-high OPS+ of 134. He slashed .280/.380/.459 with 24 home runs, 29 doubles, 85 RBI and just 101 strikeouts. .

There is always excitement about signing a player who is coming to the end of his career. Still, even if the switch hitter doesn’t produce the same offensive output in 2025 as he did this campaign, he’d be an above-average player if he could be a league-average bat.

It will be interesting to see what the Astros do and how much they plan to spend. If their budget is tight and they want to increase their margins, there aren’t many better options.

If they were to sign Bregman to a long-term deal worth around $150 million, it’s unclear how much the front office would spend after that.

Free will is almost here, so only time will tell.