Could Houston Astros Actually Trade Bregman?
The Houston Astros have a decision to make when it comes to third baseman Alex Bregman.
The fan-favorite slugger is entering the final year of his contract with the Astros, a five-year, $100 million deal he signed before 2020 to get him through his arbitration seasons. Now, entering his age 30 season, he could enter free agency next offseason looking for a massive contract that would take him through the rest of his career.
The Astros have stated they have a couple of priorities, and that’s keeping both Bregman and second baseman Jose Altuve. Publicly, they’ve sounded more committed to getting Altuve into a deal that takes him to the end of his career.
If there’s any other Astros player that should be an Astro-for-Life, it’s Bregman. But the Astros don’t anticipate a lot of wiggle room on salary in 2024.
So, they may need to make moves. They may need to make trades. They may need to — gulp — trade Bregman?
MLB.com recently made eight predictions about this offseason. One had Shohei Ohtani signing with the Seattle Mariners. One had Juan Soto being dealt to the New York Yankees.
One had the Astros trading Bregman, though MLB.com admits the odds are short:
The chances of this happening are maybe 2% (for Bregman’s No. 2). Actually, make that 0.2%. Actually, make that 0.02%. But we put “bold” in the headline, and the free-agent market for bats is pretty light, so let’s at least explore this possibility, unlikely though it may be.
The reasons the Astros might consider this? As noted, extending both Altuve and Bregman could be difficult, and the lean is toward Altuve. Dealing Bregman could improve the farm system. He’s the type of player that would bring top prospects in a trade.
He’s a lifetime .274 hitter with 165 home runs and 588 RBI in his eight-year career.
There are also cheaper options in the free agent market, including Jeimer Candelario.
The landing spots in a potential trade are big-name teams like the Blue Jays, Mets, Yankees, Cubs.
There’s also the free agency looming for Bregman next winter. If the Astros can’t extend him they run the risk of not re-signing him and being left with nothing in return.
As noted, it’s a small chance. But, as they say, there’s a chance.
