I haven't heard of any immediate desire for them to wrap him up. He is struggling with the bat so far this season, and Bregman feels he deserves a big deal after his last deal with the Astros. If someone like the Yankees decide to give him a 200,000,000 type deal, he is gone - and it only takes one team to do that. I am just not sure he gets that.
I think Bregman will get heavy interest from 2 types of teams: teams that have boatloads of money and can afford an underwater contract for a guy who is a good influence outside of his own personal performance (Yankees, Dodgers, Phillies), and young up-and-coming teams who need a veteran who knows how teams get over the top (Orioles, Royals, Nationals). I think if he has a really good 2nd half then 6-7 years and near $200M will be in range for him. But if he struggles or gets hurt then he may be looking at a limited enough market that coming back to Houston on a 2-3 year deal with opt outs is a possibility.
I disagree... Bregman has the on-base skills and probably reconfigure himself to be more crafty. Let's be honest, he has already lost a step... and instead of SS to 3B like we envisioned when he was younger... I can see him slide to 2B once his reaction time slips... and he would still be a positive offensive guy at 2B.
We're accustomed to Bregman's slow starts. But he'll get blasted by the fans of his new team when he inevitably has a slow start after signing a big contract and we'll hear that he was only good in Houston where he's been cheating for the past 8 seasons.
So is he the infield version of Reddick? Hugely popular in the clubhouse, veteran presence and big season(s) with a new team then a very quick drop-off and he's done at 33? Maybe 2b for Orioles next year?
I think to truly extend our championship window past next year we need to sign Tucker. We can’t afford both so Bregman is gone. He has been saved from a deadline deal by his and the Astros resurgence, but I don’t see an avenue for bringing him back. If we aren’t going to re-sign Tucker there is still no reason to re-sign Bregman. He’s gone.
Dunno about you, but I miss that cocky, holding up 4 fingers, staring people down in the dugout Bregman
I think they are really hoping to get Garcia 2-3 starts in the majors before the trade deadline. He and JV will go a LONG way to determining if Houston needs to add a SP.
Dana Brown mentioned on 790 on Sunday that Garcia was hitting 93-94 mph in the complex league with “no adrenaline pumping” and said something along the lines of “we expect this guy to be throwing really hard in a few weeks”. Hypothetically, if Garcia and Verlander return and can provide quality innings, Arighetti and Bloss become really solid bullpen options. I think both of those guys have stuff that would play pretty damn well coming out of the pen.
Jackson Holiday is their future at 2B. He may be ready next year. Westburg will move to 3rd when Holliday is ready. With Gunnar at SS, that is one incredible infield.
I don’t think they’d move Arrighetti or Bloss to the pen. They need to keep them stretched out so that they have viable options if/when guys get hurt or need a turn off for load management. They’re not gonna set themselves up to have to call up Eric Lauer or somebody because they moved Arrighetti and Bloss to the pen. But honestly I think if both JV and Garcia are back and effective before the deadline, it opens up the possibility of using Bloss or Arrighetti as a primary piece in a major trade.
I could see him going to the Rockies if they didn’t suck so bad. I think Bregs is probably heading west. I could see SF or maybe the Diamondbacks. This is based on almost nothing. Just a feeling
Management screwed up royally last season with the overuse of the rotation. The same losses Javier, France, and Hunter took while struggling/fatiguing could've been losses for Blanco and Bielak. The difference is, with those losses comes rest for the guys who needed it -- then, those same guys could have performed better *after* said rest, theoretically. But instead, we witnessed game-after-game of starters who needed rest, continually being thrown to the wolves every 5ht/6th day. Now, we have Javier's "sore neck" becoming a 2026 next appearance and a 2023 Game 7 ALCS drubbing. Ranger were lucky AF too, so that's another factor.
I agree - the Astros should have shut down Javier and Valdez for awhile and did not do it. They both very good last year until the long post seasons caught up to them and they were starting to break down. The team assumed they would bounce back and it didn't really happen. The good news is that Verlander will be rested for the post season. Now they ideally find a way to get Blanco and Valdez some rest when possible. Maybe they go 5 innings a start for awhile instead of 7. Verlander and Garcia should be back at some point - and in AAA they have Lauer who has been a good big leaguer and is pitching better... they also have Jake Bloss coming back and are talking to teams about guys that are okay starters that can give you starts and innings.
