The Houston Astros selected Alex Bregman with the second overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft, overseeing the development of one of the best third basemen in baseball. With Bregman now on the open market in MLB free agency, the odds of him departing his original team seem to be increasing.
Bregman, who turns 31 in March, won two World Series titles with Houston along and earned earned All-Star selections. He also won his first Gold Glove Award this past season and slashed 266/.315/.519 with a .833 OPS and 14 home runs after the All-Star Break.
- Alex Bregman stats (ESPN): .260/.315/.453, .768 OPS, 26 home runs, 75 RBI, 30 doubles
Widely recognized as one of the best MLB free agents available this offseason, Bregman expressed a desire to remain in Houston with teammate Jose Altuve publicly encouraging the franchise to re-sign his teammate. However, efforts to make that happen are falling quite short,
Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reported Thursday that the Astros have made an official six-year contract offer to Bregman worth $156 million total. From Houston’s perspective, it would be the largest deal in team history and ensure the All-Star third baseman likely finishes his career in an Astros uniform.
However, the proposal doesn’t come close to the asking price Bregman is “believed to be seeking” at approximately $200 million total. The two sides are millions of dollars apart even on annual salary, at a time when several other contenders want Bregman.
Complicating matters even further for Houston is the fact it will be going through this next year with Kyle Tucker, who will only be 28 years old when he hits MLB free agency in 2025. Meanwhile, Astros’ chairman Jim Crane has been pretty adamant about not overspending on players, even fan-favorites.
“You have to be cognizant of that because the longer the contracts on the back end, it gets difficult to carry it and you decrease your ability to be competitive when you’ve got a lot of money tied up. We have some money coming off the payroll next year, as you well know. We run it like a business, and we make good decisions.”
Houston Astros chairman Jim Crane in November on signing players to lengthy contracts worth hundreds of millions
- Alex Bregman career earnings (Spotrac): $107.873 million
As for Bregman’s other suitors, MLB rumors have linked the Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees and Washington Nationals among the clubs interested. Detroit would provide Bregman with the chance to compete for a World Series title and to be reunited with manager A.J. Hinch.
If Bregman departs for another club, Willy Adames could become a fallback plan for Houston. He’d plug into the same spot in the Astros lineup and he’s only 29 years old. However, much like Bregman, Adames is also sought-after by the Yankees, Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers which could lead to a contract Crane isn’t willing to pay.
Here’s How Far Astros Reportedly Are From Alex Bregman’s Desired Deal
The Houston Astros’ No. 1 priority of the offseason is re-signing their franchise cornerstone third baseman Alex Bregman. Bregman has spent the last nine years in Houston, winning two World Series titles along the way.
Spotrac projects Bregman to sign a four-year, $119 million deal, but Bregman reportedly wants a longer deal and a lot more money.
Bryce McTaggart of MLB.com has recently reported that, despite Houston being aggressive to re-sign Bregman, the two sides are still far apart on a deal.
How far apart are they, exactly? Nearly $50 million apart.
“The Astros have offered Bregman a six-year deal worth around $156 million, a source told MLB.com this week,” McTaggart wrote. “That would be a club-record contract for the team in terms of dollars, but Bregman is believed to be seeking a deal closer to $200 million, which likely would price out the Astros and force them to move on from their cornerstone third baseman.”
This report could spell the end of Bregman’s time in Houston.
With the New York Yankees and New York Mets both aggressively pursuing Juan Soto, whichever team misses out on him will have quite a bit of money to spend. Both of these teams need an infielder and they could outbid the Astros, paying Bregman closer to the $200 million number that he wants.
The Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners are also players in Bregman’s free agency, but it’s unlikely that either of those two teams send him $200 million, like the Yankees or Mets could.
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