Altuve thinks Astros will re-sign Bregman: 'Need to make it happen'
Jose Altuve is confident the Houston Astros' front office will find a way to keep his longtime teammate Alex Bregman around.
"I don't see any chances of him leaving," Altuve said regarding Bregman's impending free agency, according to The Athletic's Chandler Rome.
"That might be just me. I really think that, at the end of the season, our front office people, GM and ownership (are) going to get a deal done for him. I don't think — I'm sure — that we are not only a better team with him, but we are a better organization with him. We really need to make it happen."
Bregman has spent his entire nine-year career with the Astros alongside Altuve. The pair has won the World Series twice together.
The 30-year-old third baseman is expected to command a lucrative deal in free agency this winter, likely to exceed the six-year, $151-million extension the San Francisco Giants recently gave Matt Chapman.
Houston has paid Altuve several times throughout his Astros tenure but has shown a tendency to let its other star players - such as George Springer and Carlos Correa - walk in free agency as they age.
"I don't have control, but if I could, I would just pay Breggy whatever he wants," Altuve added. "His professionalism, his desire to win and his desire to get better at the stage he is - he’s a superstar - that’s really hard to find. You don’t find a lot of guys trying to get better like he does every single year, every single day. We really need to reward guys like him."
Bregman has overcome a dreadfully slow start to the season to hit .254/.312/.437 with 23 home runs and 67 RBIs.
He's accrued a whopping 39.2 fWAR through nine campaigns.