With the MLB offseason officially underway following the Dodgers winning the World Series, the Houston Astros face several big decisions this offseason. Perhaps the biggest is how competitive of an offer will the send to Alex Bregman and his agent Scott Boras.
The deadline to extend Bregman a qualifying offer is this Monday at 4p CT. The Astros have extended qualifying offers in the past, with Colby Rasmus in 2016 one of the few who accepted the qualifying offer. Bregman would likely decline one as well, seeking a much larger deal. Monday will also be the first day a free agent can sign with a new team.
The first move of the offseason was made Thursday afternoon, as the Los Angeles Angels traded pitcher Griffin Canning to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for outfielder Jorge Soler.
Several reports say Bregman is seeking a large contract in both years and dollar amount, while the Astros have been known to not give out contracts longer than five or six years. Several weeks ago, Matt Chapman got a six-year $151 million contract from the San Francisco Giants. Bregman is a much better offensive player than Chapman, meaning he'll likely be looking for something more in the department of seven-years, $200 million. But would he be willing to take less years to stay in Houston, a place he has called home since 2016, and a place where his wife Reagan grew up and attended college up the road at Texas A&M.
If Bregman chooses to leave Houston, there are several landing spots already being rumored including a reunion with Alex Cora with the Boston Red Sox, a reunion with AJ Hinch with the Detroit Tigers, the Chicago Cubs, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Seattle Mariners and even the New York Yankees. Of course, several of those teams already have solid starting third basemen, but would likely be willing to shift some things around to make room for an Alex Bregman.
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