The longtime Houston Astros star “definitely won’t be back” in 2025.

The Houston Astros' season is finally over after they were surprisingly defeated by the Detroit Tigers in the Wild Card round.

After an interesting 162-game season, the Astros were a difficult team to get a feel for. However, since there was no clear favorite in Major League Baseball, it wasn't the wildest assumption that Houston would win the World Series.

Instead, they failed, and failed horribly.

When it came to questions about their pitching staff, it was the Astros' offense that failed to contribute, scoring just three runs in 18 innings.

Looking ahead to the offseason, there are several ways for them to improve. Focusing on offense, the bottom half of Houston's lineup simply wasn't good enough in 2024. For them to be the team they want to be, they need to improve.

However, from the looks of things, this problem could only get worse. Alex Bregman is heading into free agency this winter and could be on his way out.

Bregman posted a 3-8 record in the two games played, which was better than most of the other hitters in the lineup.

Still, it wasn't enough, and given the possibility of him receiving nearly $200 million in a new deal, that money might be better spent elsewhere.

FanSided's Cody Williams expects that to be the case, writing that the longtime star “definitely won't be back” next year.

“What may make it a little easier to swallow is that the two-time All-Star third baseman had a slightly down year by his standards, posting a .768 OPS in the regular season, the lowest mark of his career, though He is still considered one of the most lucrative free agents on the market and there is no shortage of suitors. We then learn why it was a matter of Altuve or Bregman being extended for Houston, as that would only give the other more leverage in free agency for an expensive contract that the Astros may simply not be able to afford.

“Absolutely” seems like a strong word, but Williams isn’t far off the mark in his assessment.

As he has suggested, Bregman's poor performance in parts of the campaign will not help his cause. However, there is a nearly decade-long sample that shows he is one of the best hitters in the sport.

The Astros will now have to face that reality sooner than hoped after yet another failure to win the World Series.