GM Dana Brown: Astros ‘had some conversations’ with Bregman, signing ‘long shot’
Just when it looks like Alex BregmanThe Astros’ days are coming to an end, and reports emerged earlier this week that the six-year, $156MM offer Houston made to the third baseman earlier this offseason is still open and the club may be considering a scenario, Jose Altuve Moved to left field, Isaac Paredes Bregman returned to his old spot at the hot corner.
Astros general manager Dana Brown discussed the situation with MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart and other media members today, saying the club does “had some conversations“With Bregman’s camp, these negotiations are ongoing”positive” Direction. Brown described re-signing Bregman as “Vision,” he pointed out that the opportunity for the two parties to reunite is not closed.
“I would say [the door is] cracked,” Brown said. “The fact that he’s still available makes things interesting. It’s like, ‘Man, this guy is a really good player, he’s done a lot of great things here. We’ll hold on tight to the cracked door and see where our conversation leads”.
Houston almost acquires third base position via acquisition Nolan Arenado Arenado retired from the Cardinals in December, but opted to exercise his no-trade clause. While it was later reported that Arenado wasn’t entirely opposed to playing in Houston, at the time he had some concerns about the direction of the Astros, who had just traded away another star in Houston just days earlier. Kyle Tucker. However, once Arenado rejected the deal, the Astros signed instead Christian Walker As their new first baseman, Paredes was slotted into the third base spot.
Walker’s signing was only officially announced a little over a month ago, making Bregman the odd man out in Houston, even though the Astros never technically withdrew their original offer. Suitors such as the Tigers, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Cubs have all been linked to Bregman to varying degrees, but no deal has been reached, seemingly causing the Astros to back down. As Brown clearly states: “We never realized Bregman was still on the market at this time”.
Whether Bregman accepts the six-year, $15MM offer or the Astros might raise the price slightly to help seal the deal, re-signing Bregman at any price would add significantly to the club’s payroll. According to projections from RosterResource, the Astros’ projected luxury tax amount is just over $244, putting the team above the first tier of $241. Owner Jim Crane suggested the Astros are willing to match last season’s $244MM in payroll and $262MM in taxes because “It just depends on the players available”. Re-signing a known player like Bregman will likely make Crane feel more comfortable with the increased spending, although the Astros could also be taking some money off their books soon if Ryan Pressley (Owed $14MM in 2025) waived his no-trade clause, allowing for a proposed trade to the Cubs.
“Jim Crane was very positive about the organization’s efforts to win…If we can do something that makes sense for this organization, we’ll do it. If it doesn’t make economic sense then we probably won’t do it,” Brown said.
