Kyle Tucker trade confirms Tigers may have officially ended Astros dynasty

For nearly a decade, the Houston Astros have been the team to beat in the American League. This past season, the Cinderella story Detroit Tigers marched into Houston and did just that. The Tigers swept the Astros at their own ballpark in the American League Wild Card Series. Not a whole lot was thought of it at the time, but as the offseason is unfolding, there appears to be some lingering effects in Space City.

At season's end, the Astros knew that Alex Bregman's contract was up. They also knew he would be one of the most sought-after free agents on the market. This included the Tigers on the list of potential Bregman suitors.

The pros for Bregman to come to Detroit were clear. He would be the head honcho in the clubhouse playing for the third youngest team in the league, led by his former manager AJ Hinch. That sounded like a match made in heaven.

For now, it is beginning to sound like Houston has taken a back seat in negotiations for Bregman, with the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Tigers leading the charge.

Kyle Tucker trade confirms Tigers may have ended Astros dynasty

Along with Bregman's potential departure, the Astros traded one of the best talents in the game to the Chicago Cubs. Outfielder Kyle Tucker was flipped to the Northsiders for starting pitcher Hayden Wesneski, infielder Isaac Paredes and top prospect Cam Smith. Wesneski and Paredes are contributing players, but most would agree that Paredes will not match the huge numbers Tucker has been putting up year after year for the Astros. The fact that Paredes is primarily a third baseman also leads some to think that Bregman is headed elsewhere. Wesneski isn't a bad piece, but won't be an ace for the team. Smith is a third base prospect, which ... further indicates Bregman is on the outs.

There are also rumors that the team is fielding calls for ace pitcher Framber Valdez, which would prove another costly blow. The return should be good for Valdez, but again, that is a potential third key piece of the team finding a new home. The recent World Series core would be entirely dismantled outside of an aging Jose Altuve. This would be a totally different team.

It is clear that the Astros are trying to get younger. But if they had beaten the Tigers in the Wild Card Series, would all of this be happening so quickly? Bregman could have still left the team, but would Tucker and Valdez been so aggressively shopped?

There appears to be a trend of players finding new homes. Losing a playoff series is tough and instantly garners evaluation of the team. Losing to a Cinderella team that had no business being in the playoffs ... now that could trigger some serious reconsideration into the foundation of an organization. Perhaps this is a hypothetical passing of the torch as the Astros seem to be trending downward with the Tigers trending upward. Whatever it may be, it is clear that the Tigers had some sort of effect on the future of the best team in MLB over the last decade.