Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
HOUSTON — Houston's early playoff exit means Alex Bregman and Justin Verlander might have played their last games for the Astros. The AL West champions were swept by the Detroit Tigers in their Wild Card series, losing 5-2 in Game 2. Houston had made seven consecutive appearances in the AL Championship Series, winning two titles along the way. The 30-year-old Bregman is eligible for free agency after spending the last nine seasons as Houston's third baseman. He was selected by the Astros with the No. 2 pick in the 2015 amateur draft. The 41-year-old Verlander also appears to be going to free agency after failing to pitch the 140 innings he needed to trigger a $35 million player option on his contract.
