It is no secret that the Houston Astros would like to have Alex Bregman back in the lineup for 2025 and beyond. However, it also sounds like the Astros are hoping the All-Star free agent is open to a hometown discount after spending his first nine MLB seasons with the club.
According to MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, Houston “offered Bregman a six-year deal worth around $156M” in the hopes that he would continue his career with the team that drafted him No. 2 overall in the 2015 MLB draft. However, multiple sources have indicated that Bregman is looking for a deal in the neighborhood of $200M. MLBTradeRumors.com predicted a seven-year, $182M contract for Bregman, who is a client of Scott Boras.
For the Astros, starting with a lower offer is a roll of the dice. While Bregman is very familiar with Houston and has been a key part of the team’s rise and success since his debut in 2016, the 30-year-old third baseman is one of the most wanted free agent hitters on the market this offseason.
Among the teams linked to Bregman are the Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies (if they trade third baseman Alec Bohm as has been rumored) and even the New York Yankees, a franchise that would have to close some wounds opened by Bregman and the Astros during the sign-stealing scandal at the end of last decade (something general manager Brian Cashman is still upset about) in order to sign him.
If Houston is to retain Bregman, owner Jim Crane will have to break with what has been a tight fist while overseeing the team. As McTaggart pointed out in his article, “the Astros have never offered more than five years to a free agent, and the biggest deal he’s given to any player is the $151M that second baseman Jose Altuve received with his extension in 2018.”
Is Bregman valuable enough to the Astros to break that streak? If Houston is to keep him, it is likely that history could be made in south Texas with the signing.
Knowing Bregman is represented by Boras, an agent notorious for not settling for lower-than-projected offers, and there is plenty of demand for his services, Houston may ultimately land Bregman this offseason … but it very likely won’t include a hometown discount.
