“Heartbroken”: As the Astros' ALCS series ends and the club nears a crossroads, Jose Altuve speaks out

HOUSTON — Minute Maid Park is the playground of a playoff opponent, a place that now hosts more celebrations for its visitors than the vaunted team that calls it home. The Detroit Tigers started the final game Wednesday afternoon 4:28 after an opponent won for the seventh consecutive time in this stadium in October.

Few in the first base dugout moved as it unfolded. Arms hung over the upper railing and emotionless faces watched as a trade deadline salesman completed his two-day dethroning of an American League dynasty. Seven consecutive appearances in the American League Championship Series have prepared this city and its clubhouse for extended postseason runs.

“When we get to the playoffs, you think long-term,” second baseman Jose Altuve said. “We obviously couldn’t win against the Tigers. It's difficult. We are heartbroken at the moment.”

After this anonymous group of Tigers had turned his home into their own abode, Altuve left the dugout and descended the steps to the clubhouse. Along the way, he found Alex Bregman, the latest free agent cornerstone for a franchise that rarely retains him. “I told him right after the game that he was coming back,” Altuve said after the 5-2 loss.

No two men in Houston Astros history have appeared in more postseason games. Bregman had never played a full major league season that ended before the American League Championship Series. Wednesday gave him a glimpse into the lives of the other half, those franchises that don't make a complex sport seem so simple.

“I haven’t even had a chance to really process it,” Bregman said. “I was planning on being here tomorrow.”

Nothing in this franchise's past suggests he will, so Bregman stood outside the clubhouse to give one final speech. He was preceded by first-year manager Joe Espada, who praised the club for its resilience after a 12-24 start before promising they would return to the postseason next year. Bregman followed him.

“He said he loved playing with us,” outfielder Chas McCormick said. “He loved how resilient we were. That was our leader, so I'm glad he was able to talk to us. He was obviously a big part of this team. He just talked about how much he loved playing with us and how much we fought this year. Said it was an honor.”

Analyzing that past tense, or Bregman's three-word tweet Wednesday night, has become standard operating procedure for this team. The seasons here are scheduled to end later, but when they do, attention will turn to the future of the franchise icons. Carlos Correa and George Springer departed. Justin Verlander did it once and may do it again this winter.

“I don’t want to think about the last game with Breggy,” Altuve said. “As I said two weeks ago, I'm pretty confident he'll be our third baseman next year. We have to. Without him we will not be the same organization. In my opinion there is no chance of this being the last game.”

Altuve has emerged as Bregman's biggest advocate, an unlikely spokesman for someone who has spent six months saying next to nothing about his impending decision. Public openness from Altuve is rare. The intransigence towards everything within the organization is even greater.

“I don’t think I’m saying anything that’s not true,” Altuve said. “He deserves someone – it could be me or another player – to talk about him. He is our leader. Since the day he arrived, the entire organization has changed in a better direction. He made this team much better. I think there’s hopefully a great chance for him to stay here and not just that, retire here.”

When asked if he would tell owner Jim Crane, Altuve said “absolutely.” Altuve owns the largest contract Crane has ever given to a player during his tenure. If exceeded, it is necessary to retain Bregman.

“We’ll see what happens,” Bregman said. “I’ll leave that up to Scott (Boras) and the team. Obviously it's free agency and I've never experienced that before. I leave that to him and all teams.”

Was this Alex Bregman's last game with the Astros? (Thomas Shea/Imagn Images)

When the clubhouse doors swung open after Bregman's speech, only the clapping of backs and hands broke the silence. As the players said their goodbyes, duffel bags sat in front of the lockers. Pouring from a stem of Crown Royal brought some groups together for one last drink. Verlander signed one of his jerseys and gave it to Yordan Alvarez.

“Such a tough season, the toughest season since I’ve been here,” Verlander said. “It's impressive to be able to respond to all problems and injuries. I would have loved to top it all off with a World Series title, but that’s obviously not in the cards.”

Still, it remains the standard that Houston has created for itself. Anything less than a World Series is considered a failure – injuries or adversity during the season don't matter. Even recovering from such an incident two years ago couldn't save general manager James Click's job.

Two seasons later, Crane had the highest payroll in franchise history, but then watched as a manager he fired led his dismal club past one that looked worn out. That will be a 12-24 start and will have a devastating impact on an aging team that has had to play flat out in the final four months of the season.

“It was tough,” McCormick said. “I didn’t think what happened would happen. It seemed like they wanted it more.”

Few other franchises have such high expectations. Failure to fulfill them triggers an outcry that is consistent with the assumptions themselves. Success has blighted this city, and portions of empty seats during those two afternoon games at Minute Maid Park only reinforced that. The end result did not correspond to the previous seven seasons. Nothing else was made about the trip.

“It was a very challenging season and we made the postseason. That is our goal every year. We win the division and then play deep into the playoffs,” said Espada. “That didn’t happen to us this year, but I want our boys to be proud of their resilience and how tough this season was.”

Espada and his coaching staff have squeezed every ounce of value out of a flawed squad plagued by injuries and ruined by questionable decisions, which will continue to plague this club next season. Rafael Montero and José Abreu will earn a combined $31 million next season without contributing, still under contracts Crane signed two winters ago when he played baseball operations manager.

Abreu's anemia meant Houston played the entire season without an established first baseman. Two-thirds of the outfield failed to produce anything offensively. Kyle Tucker missed 79 games after suffering a broken tibia. Altuve posted a career-high 119 hits, Bregman boasted a career-low .315 on-base percentage, and Jeremy Peña's cocky stance adjustment yielded a .701 OPS. Last season he hit .705.

If the team felt like they were missing a bat all season, scoring three runs in 18 innings against a number of Detroit pitchers who hit the league minimum only reinforced that.

“It’s playoff baseball. Everyone is fine. There is a reason why they are here and there is a reason why they fight the way they fight,” said utility operator Mauricio Dubón. “It’s a pretty good ballclub. Just take your hat off and get them next year.”

“A lot of bullshit outside, a lot of bullshit inside, but it's something that everyone stuck together through. Sometimes that got us through games. September came and we were a few games behind and still managed to advance.”

An outfield in desperate need of rejuvenation can't turn to Drew Gilbert, the top-100 prospect who was traded from Verlander last August in exchange for 28 starts, 158 1/3 innings and a 4.55 ERA New York Mets was transferred. There are no ready-made first basemen in sight in Houston's minor league system either, but 21-year-old Ryan Clifford could have been a candidate. He is in the Mets system with Gilbert.

Prioritizing pennants over prospects helped get Houston through this run. The team doesn't reach last season's ALCS without Verlander — or Abreu's mini-renaissance in September. Without the acquisition of Yusei Kikuchi in July, it's worth wondering whether this team would have even made the playoffs this year.

While that was the case, the flameout brings this club closer to a crossroads. Tucker and Framber Valdez will be free agents after next season. Altuve isn't getting any younger or improving his defense at second base. Alvarez suffered another knee injury. Josh Hader, the closer who has four years left on the richest free-agent contract of Crane's tenure as owner, allowed 12 home runs, a career-best, and retired in the eighth inning of Wednesday's game.

One decision will not lead to a crossroads. Houston lost superstars and still maintained that magical decade of dominance. Altuve doesn't seem to believe it's sustainable. Bregman has obscured so much of what has plagued this club all season, whether with his great baseball spirit or his winning mentality. He's gone from arrogant to stoic, but is still someone this team can't live without.

“He's given a lot to this organization, so now it's time for us – as a team, as an organization – to pay him back and make sure he stays here,” Altuve said.

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(Top photo: Kevin M. Cox / Associated Press)