Houston Astros’ Alex Bregman’s internal replacement option earns him promotion

This offseason, there seemed to be writing on the wall that this would be the last year Alex Bregman would don a Houston Astros jersey.

The franchise’s cornerstone is set to hit free agency after the season, and with the Astros negotiating a contract extension with Jose Altuve and handing Josh Hader a mega-deal instead of turning their attention to the star third baseman, they likely won’t be able to match what other teams offer him on the open market.

What this means for the Astros going forward will be discovered at a later date, as this group is currently determined to win its third World Series title.

There is still a chance, albeit unlikely, that Bregman decides to re-sign with Houston if Jim Crane offers him something of trade value. Past situations like this indicate that won’t be the case, however, as George Springer, Gerrit Cole and Carlos Correa have all left as free agents.

If they don’t have the two-time All-Star in the mix in 2025, then signs are they’ll hand things over to some internal options unless a cheap veteran falls into their lap.

One player who appears poised to have his name in the running is Zach Dezenzo.

The star prospect is ranked No. 4 in the Astros’ farm system, climbing their rankings after being selected in the 12th round of the 2022 MLB Draft.

He will now get his first chance at the Triple-A level following his recent promotion.

The 6-foot-5, 24-year-old infielder has been impressive during his minor league career with a .267/.345/.416 batting line, 24 home runs, 61 extra-base hits and 87 RBIs.

And even if he doesn’t put up great numbers against Double-A pitchers this season, Houston clearly wants to see what he can do at the next level so they can assess whether he can take over the third base spot in the major leagues next year.

It is certainly not a given that Dezenzo will be able to do this.

The Astros got very lucky when they got rid of Correa and Jeremy Pena was able to replace him and become the ALCS and World Series MVP in his rookie season.

It is very unlikely that lightning will strike twice in this scenario.

The way Houston has handled Bregman’s future within this organization is certainly risky. Depending on what they do during this year’s trade deadline, there’s a chance they’ll be counting on superstar Yordan Alvarez, the regressive Framber Valdez, the aging Jose Altuve, impending free agent Kyle Tucker in 2025 and younger players to maintain their grip on the American League.

Maybe that’s enough.

The Astros have silenced all doubters in the past when people thought they wouldn’t survive the drain of talent that had previously left them.

Dezenzo will be a player fans will have to watch for the remainder of this campaign to see how he performs against Triple-A pitchers.