The Houston Astros are still trying to bring back their fan favorite free agent third baseman Alex Bregman, who has hit the open market this winter with the conclusion of his five-year, $100 million deal from 2019 having come to a close after the 2024 season.
While the team has stated time and time again that they want to get something done with the franchise cornerstone, Jim Crane and company certainly have a history of letting their big name free agents walk away and still being able to find success without them.
After Bregman’s previous deal has been one of the better bargains in baseball over the last half decade, it’s understandable for him to desire as much money as he can get in what may be the soon-to-be 31-year-old’s last true chance to cash in.
Reports in the previous weeks indicated that Houston’s offer to Bregman was already on the table, but this week Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reported the dollar figure that he has heard the Astros put forth to the two-time All-Star.
“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.”
If Bregman is truly holding out for $200 million as McTaggart believes, it will probably be the end of an era for Houston. In his nine-year career, Bregman has been a massive part of the incredible run that saw seven consecutive ALCS appearances, four World Series appearances, and two championship banners.
That fact alone makes it desirable for the Astros to keep him, but the reality of the business side of all sports is you must pay a player for what he will do in the future, not what he has done in the past.
There’s a chance that the $200 million offer isn’t out there for the veteran and he would certainly like to remain in Houston if that’s the case.
But if someone is able and willing to blow the Astros best offer out of the water as it seems both he and agent Scott Boras believe is the case, it would be unsurprising and probably better for both sides if he was playing elsewhere for the first time in his professional career.
