Alex Bregman Returning to Astros Still Possible in MLB Free Agency, GM Says

As the start of spring training gets closer without Alex Bregman being signed, the possibility of him returning to the Houston Astros are looking a little better than when iit appeared the team moved on.

General manager Dana Brown told reporters on Saturday during the team's fan fest that the door to extend Bregman is "cracked" open and the two sides have had talks.

"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. "We've had some conversation and I could kind of leave it there, but we've had some conversations."

The Astros seemed to pivot from Bregman earlier in the offseason when they traded Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs. Their return in that deal included Isaac Paredes, whose primary position is third base.

It's unclear if Houston has changed its initial offer to Bregman. MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reported on Dec. 5 the Astros proposal was "worth around" $156 million over six years.

At the time, it seemed like that was an attempt by the Astros to say they offered Bregman the richest contract in franchise history while knowing he wouldn't take it because McTaggart noted he was seeking $200 million.

There have been several teams that have shown interest in Bregman, but apparently none willing to go as far with a contract offer as he would like. The Detroit Tigers were once considered a popular landing spot to reunite with former Astros manager A.J. Hinch, yet there's no indication they are aggressively pursuing him.

The Cubs have entered the race for Bregman, but their interest is impacted by having a limited budget left to spend on the roster for 2025.

Per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, the Boston Red Sox have "remained engaged" with Bregman's camp but they don't appear interested in a deal longer than four years.

Speier noted there are "at least three teams" that offered Bregman deals of at least five years this offseason.

With the majority of the league holding their first workouts on Feb. 12 and 13, Bregman figures to make a decision by then to ensure he can get a full spring training with his team.

The Astros know better than anyone what a difference Bregman can make in the lineup and as a defender.

Since making his MLB debut in 2016, Bregman ranks third among all third baseman with 32.8 FanGraphs' wins above replacement. José Ramírez (43.4) and Nolan Arenado (41.3) are the only players at the hot corner who have been better than him at the position.

A two-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner, Bregman hit .260/.315/.453 with 26 homers in 145 games for the Astros in 2024.