The division rival of the Houston Astros is considered a dark horse and signs Alex Bregman

The Houston Astros started the offseason a little earlier than they would have liked as they were eliminated in the American League Wild Card Round by the Detroit Tigers.

This was another good campaign for the Astros, even though they failed to make it to the Championship Series for the first time in seven years. Although the slow start to the season hurt them and potentially cost them a bye, Houston was still considered one of the best teams in the league.

The Astros have essentially been able to maintain their success for a decade now because they've done an excellent job of developing players, making trades and pushing the right buttons in free agency. However, this offseason will be one of the most notable for the franchise as one of the big pieces of their core is set to hit free agency in Alex Bregman.

After Matt Chapman signed an extension with the San Francisco Giants, the path was clear to make Bregman the best third baseman without question as a free agent. While Houston will likely try to keep him, they won't be the only other team pursuing him.

Recently, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller spoke about how the Seattle Mariners may be a dark horse for Alex Bregman.

The Mariners chasing the slugger makes a lot of sense for a few reasons. Firstly, the performance at this position has been poor for them this season and they needed to improve their lineup.

Seattle had one of the best pitching teams in baseball this season, coupled with one of the worst offenses in the league. Adding a third baseman would immediately improve this offense, and a resurgent season from Julio Rodriguez would help, too.

Additionally, the Mariners' signing of Bregman from Houston would also weaken their rival. While baseball is a business, Bregman moving to Seattle would be a really hard pill to swallow for the Astros.

In addition to Seattle, Houston also has to look out for the New York Yankees and New York Mets. While both of these teams will go all-in on Juan Soto, if one or both miss out on him, they could move on to Bregman.

With many of their talented core heading into free agency over the next few years, this will be a very telling offseason for Houston and the direction they want to take moving forward.