Alex Bregman remains the top prize still on the market during MLB free agency. While Houston's offseason moves, which include signing first baseman Christian Walker and trading for infielder Isaac Paredes, may have indicated a return to the Astros is unlikely for Bregman, the team remains interested in retaining the two-time All-Star.
The Astros held their annual FanFest Saturday where general manager Dana Brown, manager Joe Espada and longtime teammate Jose Altuve addressed their hope to keep Bregman in Houston as he remains a free agent, although they face some challenges in doing so.
“The interesting thing is when we made some trades and some moves this offseason, we never realized that Bregman would still be on the market at this time,” Brown said Saturday according to MLB.com's Astros beat reporter Brian McTaggart. “I think we’ve had some conversations, and I can leave it there. As I mentioned, the interesting thing is that he’s still available. It’s not as if we’re not talking about it. We’ve had some conversations.”
Houston offered Bregman a six-year, $156 million contract at the beginning of the offseason as the nine-year veteran remains unsigned. Despite the Astros offseason moves, the team wouldn’t say “no” if Bregman decided to accept the offer at this point according to a report from McTaggart.
To retain Bregman, Houston would need to shuffle positions in a now-crowded infield and offload some salary to make a potential deal work.
“Obviously, there’s some hurdles to get over, but I’m still optimistic,” Espada said via MLB.com. “He’s still out there, he’s still available. Would love to have him back.”
Espada mentioned last week that the "door's still open" as long as Bregman remains a free agent. Altuve, Bregman's teammate for nine seasons, campaigned for a return to Houston at the end of this past season, too, which he continues to do.
"As a teammate, I want him back,” Altuve said Saturday also via MLB.com. “I said it. He's a big part of our team. He's definitely going to make this team better if he stays, so we're really praying and hoping he stays.”
According to another report from McTaggart Saturday, Altuve mentioned he's willing to move from second base to left field to make room in the infield should Bregman return.
Other teams remain interested in signing Bregman themselves, including the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers, which MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reported were the most likely landing spots for Bregman earlier this month.
Although Houston's offseason made a potential Bregman deal complicated, the team appears willing to do whatever it takes to make it work, should the longtime Astro feel the same.
Bregman, 30, had a strong 2024 campaign, which was capped off with his first Gold Glove award. Last season, he posted a .260/.315/.453 slash line with 26 home runs and 75 RBIs.
