Mariners fans celebrating as Astros just essentially admitted defeat on Alex Bregman

For nearly 10 years, the Mariners have lived in the shadow of the Astros. In the past eight years, Houston has won the AL West seven times and, until last year's postseason, they had made seven consecutive ALCS appearances.

They've been one of the best teams in baseball and have been a persistent thorn in Seattle's side. However, things may finally begin to swing in the Mariners' favor given the latest news on Alex Bregman.

Chandler Rome, the Astros' beat writer for The Athletic, recently reported that Dana Brown seems to already have moved on from the idea of retaining Bregman heading into 2025.

Mariners might finally see Astros' dominance on the way out after Alex Bregman news

When asked for more detail, Brown said that the organization was still talking amongst themselves but hadn't spoken with Bregman's agent, Scott Boras, in a while. To their credit, it's not like Houston didn't at least make an effort to keep one of their core pieces around for the foreseeable future. They made an offer earlier in the offseason, but given his status as a marquee free agent, it was likely lower than what he's hoping to get this winter.

Bregman reportedly received a bigger offer a few days ago from another team that has yet to be confirmed, but the Cubs, Tigers, Blue Jays and Red Sox have all been listed as potential suitors.

So what does this mean for the Mariners? Given their self-imposed financial restrictions, they were never serious contenders to sign him, but once he finally decide on a landing spot, it could open the door to further trade activity. Even if it doesn't lead to another impact signing, Seattle has seemingly already covered their bases in the infield with their latest acquisition, so the more important outcome of this situation is that, for the first time in years, the Astros seem vulnerable.

If Bregman does sign elsewhere, he will be the second key position player to depart this offseason, with the other being Kyle Tucker. Both players combined for 8.8 rWAR in 2024, and had Tucker played a full season the mark would have been even higher. Houston hasn't done much to replace these losses, and the departures are seemingly part of an intentional movement to cut down on their payroll, which has been among MLB's highest. Seattle hasn't done too much themselves to build a competitive roster, but with the Astros in their weakened state, the window to step up and compete is now. Based on current projections, they're already in striking distance and could have a chance to overtake their rivals if they slightly outperform their estimates.

That said, the Astros have a nasty tendency to subvert expectations. In 2023, the Rangers seemed destined to run away with the division before just barely being edged out. Mariners fans need no reminder of the 10-game lead the team had in 2024 before slowly but surely ceding their advantage over the remainder of the second half of the season.

Through major injuries to their starting rotation and core players like Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez, Houston has always found a way to bounce back, at least so far. Still, this may be the best chance for Seattle to seize the AL West, an opportunity the organization simpy can't afford to pass up.