It was inevitable that the Houston Astros were going to be the subject of a Scott Boras sound bite this offseason. At minimum, we’d hear some horrible, forced pun(s) out of Boras’ mouth that sounded like what your mostly estranged uncle would come up with at a holiday gathering because he never learned to interact with people normally. However, the way things went sideways during the Alex Bregman negotiations brought out a different sort of quote out of Boras.
For those that have been living under a rock (or “fully enjoying the holiday season with loved ones” as some call it), any hope of Bregman coming back to Houston is basically dead.
The writing was on the wall when the Astros tried to trade for Nolan Arenado, but signing Christian Walker took all of the financial wiggle room Houston had to sign Bregman. It is done and dusted.
When asked about Bregman’s status in the wake of signing Walker, Dana Brown was candid in saying that negotiations with Bregman had stalled and the team felt the need to pivot elsewhere. On the other side, Boras was decidedly less diplomatic when describing the Astros’ stance on Bregman.
Scott Boras’ comments on Astros moving on from Bregman should sound very familiar
Look, Bregman was an extremely important part of the Astros’ success in recent years, and anyone arguing otherwise is simply lying. He also is a very valuable player who is likely to be an asset for whichever team ultimately lands him this offseason. There is a very real possibility that the Astros will miss him greatly in 2025 and beyond.
However, this is Boras we are talking about and, in his mind, any team that has passed on paying the price that he has set for his client made a mistake. Usually, that has resulted on his clients getting top dolla,r which is why he is considered one of the best agents out there. There have also been times, such as last offseason, where Boras has overplayed his hand. He was never, ever going to respond any other way than how he did here, especially when he still has to sell Bregman to other teams before the 2025 season.
It is hard to say who is going to end up being right here. Yes, Bregman will be missed in Houston -including by his teammates, who have vocally wanted him to stay. However, there are real reasons for the Astros’ somewhat measured approach to trying to keep him, especially at his age (and note how his offensive numbers have trended since his peak). Only once we know where Bregman ends up, how much he gets paid, and how he performs will we truly understand whether Houston made the right decision to pivot elsewhere when they did.
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