HOUSTON – The Houston Astros are still pursuing Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman, according to Astros General Manager Dana Brown this afternoon.
“Alex Bregman’s status is still the way it is. Nothing has changed since the last time we talked with you guys. We’ve been busy with a lot of different things, as I realize he’s been busy trying to find a landing spot,” Brown said.
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Houston is still in play to bring back their star third baseman, two league sources tell KPRC 2. They are still battling at least three large payroll clubs and a Detroit Tigers team that beat Houston in the 2024 Wild Card Round. The Astros, New York Yankees, New York Mets and Boston Red Sox are said to show continued interest in Bregman, league sources say. Those four teams have been characterized by one source as “the strong four,” with the Detroit Tigers still interested, according to another source.
The Astros have a 6-year, $156 million offer on the table, and it’s unclear if the Astros have made a second offer, with Brown saying Friday that nothing’s changed since he spoke with media Tuesday, but according to multiple sources, the Astros are very much “still in it” with Bregman.
Bregman’s market has started to take shape over the past several days with at least five teams showing interest by Monday, including the Toronto Blue Jays. The Tigers called on Bregman by then, as well. Tuesday was a slower day, with no serious movement on Bregman, according to sources close to the free agency talks. However, Tuesday, Brown characterized it as a day of “progress,” for the team.
By Wednesday, the market was starting to heat up for Bregman, a league source said. With Juan Soto off the board after his $765 million mega-deal to the Mets, the position player market started to turn its attention to Bregman, with similar teams who were willing to spend on Soto looking to add the third baseman.
The Yankees, who had been engaged in trade talks for Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker as well, according to league sources, have a need at third base, and Alex Bregman represents an on-field fit, as well as a potential clubhouse voice for a team who just lost out on Juan Soto.
The Red Sox are interested in Bregman partly for his positional versatility. Boston has third baseman Rafael Devers entrenched in the hot corner, and Devers is not moving off third base, his agent Nelson Montes de Oca of Klutch Baseball, told me this week at Winter Meetings. Bregman could play second base for the Red Sox.
The Mets also have a need at the corner position. Longtime first baseman Pete Alonso is a free agent, and third baseman Mark Vientos finished in the 6th percentile in Statcast’s Outs Above Average (OAA), with -7 outs. Bregman won the American League Gold Glove in 2024, and had the second-best OAA of his career, ranking in the 91st percentile with +6 outs. Vientos would move to first base to make room for the superior defender in Bregman. In terms of affording a potential $200 million deal for Bregman after the Juan Soto signing, those within the industry characterize the Mets as more interested in getting what they want than trying to adhere to any sort of budget.
The Tigers have manager A.J. Hinch, who managed Bregman to his first championship in 2017. The Tigers are a team on the rise, featuring American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. Bregman would lock down a key position and be a veteran voice on a team that had nearly no postseason experience across the roster before this season’s run.
A deal for Bregman is not expected to drag deep into the offseason, as the star third baseman is one of the top priorities for several teams, including the Astros, who have publicly called their longtime third baseman priority number one.
