Alex Bregman is one of the greatest players on the field and in the clubhouse of the Houston Astros’ golden era, but he is also expensive.
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The Houston Astros and Bregman continue to have a mutual interest in a reunion after re-engaging this week, but the Astros’ original and standing offer of 6 years, $156 million is unlikely to get the deal done, with two sources telling KPRC 2 the offer needs improvement for Bregman to re-sign with Houston.
For the Astros to seriously pursue a reunion with their Gold Glove third baseman, they felt they had to clear salary to potentially add their 2-time All-Star third baseman back to the roster. The Astros will accomplish that once their trade with the Cubs is finalized, sending reliever Ryan Pressly to Chicago along with money to pay down his $14 million salary for Single-A right-handed pitcher Juan Bello, a 20-year-old from Colombia, league sources tell KPRC 2.
SEE ALSO: Ryan Pressly waives no-trade clause to join the Chicago Cubs, AP source says
The Astros are waiting on a final piece of information about Bello from the Cubs to finalize the deal, three sources tell KPRC 2. The Astros will eat $5.5 million of Pressly’s salary, according to a report from USA Today. Houston will clear $8.5 million of salary, which will put them just under the first threshold of the competitive balance tax line, which is $241 million. According to Cot’s Contracts, clearing $8.5 million of Pressly’s salary brings the Astros CBT allocation to around $235.3 million. Any Bregman deal would put the Astros firmly into the luxury tax.
Saturday, at Astros Fan Fest, General Manager Dana Brown called re-signing Bregman a “long shot,” but that the “door is cracked” for a reunion. Bregman is also fielding at least two more offers of five years or longer, according to multiple sources. The Detroit Tigers are one of the teams interesting in signing Bregman to a long-term deal. The Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs are showing varied levels of sustained interest in the star third baseman, according to multiple sources. The New York Mets are no longer involved, according to a league source.
If the Astros are able to get a deal done with the third baseman, it would create a logjam in the infield. Superstar second baseman Jose Altuve said Saturday at Fan Fest “for Alex, I’d do whatever,” when asked about moving to left field. GM Dana Brown confirmed Bregman would get his old spot of third base back if the Astros are able to sign him. From there, Isaac Paredes would move to second base, with Altuve moving to left field, according to a source familiar with the Astros’ thinking. The topic of moving to left field has not been broached with either Paredes, or shortstop Jeremy Peña, according to league sources.
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For the Astros, Bregman is the type of player Astros owner Jim Crane would be willing to exceed the luxury tax threshold, with Brown confirming the team has very few, if any other places to cut salary from. If Bregman were to accept the current offer, Houston’s CBT allocation would jump to roughly $261 million, which would not only put the Astros into the luxury tax as a repeat offender, where they would pay 30% on the $20 million overage, but would put them in range of a 12% surcharge for going $20 million over the tax line.
In 2024, the Astros paid $6,483,041 in luxury tax, according to a leaguewide memo obtained by ESPN, paying both a 20% rate for going above the tax, and the 12% surcharge. At the current offer to Bregman, the Astros would pay roughly $6 million in 2025, with no other cost-cutting measures or large additions. Increasing Bregman’s offer to an Annual Average Value of the salary he made in 2024, $30.5 million, would penalize the Astros close to $8 million, with no other cost-cutting measures or large additions.
Ari Alexander is a KPRC 2 sports anchor and reporter.
