"Please don’t let this be a goodbye" - Fans react as Alex Bregman pens heartfelt note following Astros' playoff sweep & looming free agency

Third baseman Alex Bregman seemed to have penned his farewell post for Houston Astros fans after the team was knocked out of the postseason by the Detroit Tigers, who swept them in the wild-card round. The elimination could mark the end of Bregman's stint with the Astros as the hot corner specialist is set to hit free agency in the offseason.

To the surprise of many, the Astros didn't offer him an extension, potentially placing him in the company of George Springer and Carlos Correa, players who were integral to the Astros' golden tenure and helped establish them as the best team in all of AL in the past seven years.

On Sunday, Alex Bregman thanked fans on social media for their year-long support for him and the franchise. He didn't explicitly mention that he wouldn't be re-signing, but some fans took the message as his farewell note to the franchise.

"Astros fans thank you for the support all year long, we came up short this year, but proud of the guys for the effort and the fight 💪" he wrote in the caption.

Houston fans were left feeling disappointed, as this could be Alex Bregman's farewell message for them.

"Bro this better not mean what i think it means😭😭😭😭💔" one fan wrote.

"Please re-sign man I really don’t wanna see you leave," another commented.

"Yikes! I thought this was a thank you post meaning you were leaving. I think I just had a heart attack. Please don’t leave!" another added.

"No. Please don’t let this be a goodbye post," another wrote.

Most fans in the comments voiced their desire for Alex Bregman to return.

"Re-sign bro, all my Astros gear got your name on it 😭😭," one user posted.

"Stay in Htown. We love you here," another added.

Fans react to Bregman's post on IG

What are the chances of Alex Bregman returning to HTown?

While Houston fans want Alex Bregman to re-sign, the decision rests on many factors.

Earlier this season, general manager Dana Brown expressed his wish to re-sign Bregman to a multi-year contract. Bregman hit a rough patch to start the season, which may have resulted in the club not offering him an extension. However, the third baseman did end the season well, hitting .260 to go along with 26 home runs and 75 RBIs.

Alex Bregman - Source: Getty

However, there are two sides to it with him performing well. He has raised his value in the free agent market and therefore his agent, Scott Boras, will likely prefer to let other teams bid for his services rather than letting the Astros define his value.

There are multiple teams in need of a star third baseman, including big-market teams like the New York Yankees, LA Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. It remains to be seen whether the Astros can outmatch all offers and bring back their two-time World Series champion.