Astros reportedly ‘staying in contact’ with power hitting shortstop | Sporting News

The Houston Astros have a big question mark surrounding their offseason.

After losing the American League Wild Card Series to the red-hot Detroit Tigers, Houston now may have to prepare for life without star third baseman Alex Bregman, who is a free agent.

While the Astros would like to re-sign him, there is no guarantee he’ll stay, which means Houston may need to have a backup plan.

Should Bregman leave, there are still options available. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Houston is keeping its options open, even maintaining contact with Willy Adames.

“The Houston Astros are continuing their efforts to re-sign Bregman, while also setting up contingencies. The team is staying in contact with Adames, and has expressed interest in another free agent, Jorge Polanco, as a fallback option,” Rosenthal wrote.

Because Jeremy Pena is already at shortstop, the Astros would likely have to move Adames to third base in order to have both players in their lineup. But that is something Adames could do.

He had a career year at the plate with the Milwaukee Brewers, hitting .251 with 32 home runs, 112 RBI, a .462 slugging percentage and a .794 OPS. He also stole 21 bases and posted a 3.1 WAR.

Adames would certainly give the Astros an offensive boost and give them a chance to remain one of the top teams in Major League Baseball.

Though the Astros won only 88 games this past season, they still managed to win the AL West and have their sights set on winning another World Series title.

Adames would be a good fallback option for Houston if Bregman walks, though he won’t come cheap.

We’ll see if Houston makes a play for him.

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