And if that's the case, they need to stop having contact with Boras about him and start focusing on other targets. Yes they made contact with Adames who's now gone and Walker but how serious were those talks? Don't want them missing out on everyone because they felt they could get Bregman on a discount
Man, forget all these insane prices...... Apologize to Luhnow, give him a big fat contract instead and then have him build you another 7-8 year juggernaut with multiple titles....
They aren't getting anybody on a discount, I doubt they thought that. Every off-season people are surprised by free agent contract sizes. If Crane doesn't want to dole them out (which I understand) then they need to rethink how they are gonna run their program. It still concerns me that a reliever is where Crane decided to YOLO the market. Walker is gonna get a really big number too. Not Bregman level, but sizable for his age and at the cost of a comp pick.
Yeah I think Walker is a good player but given the QO, the market, and his age, that’s very likely asking for trouble. Houston needs to do their research on the 3rd tier guys and find the best 1B, 3B, and LF they can get on a 2 year deal.
Astro-relevant excerpts from Bob Nightengale’s USA Today article for winter meetings preview: 4. Alec Bohm, Phillies: The Phillies realize they can’t run it back with the same offense again in 2025. It can be the most explosive in baseball, but as they’ve learned in the postseason, their lineup can also be awfully easy to navigate for opposing pitchers. Something has got to change, and Bohm easily has the most trade value among Nick Castellanos, Brandon Marsh and himself. If the Astros lose Alex Bregman in free agency, you can be assured that Phillies president Dave Dombrowski will be immediately on the phone offering Bohm for Astros reliever Ryan Pressly – who’s being extensively shopped. 3. Alex Bregman: Teams everywhere are being linked to Bregman, but the truth is that the Astros badly want him back, and the feeling is mutual. The trouble is that they are about $50 million apart. The Astros have a six-year deal worth $156 million sitting on the table – $5 million more than third baseman Matt Chapman received from the Giants but $26 million less than Adames – and Bregman is seeking in excess of $200 million. The Astros are expected to enhance their offer, but will it be enough to convince Bregman to stay? New York Yankees: In case the Yankees are ready to drown their miseries if they don’t re-sign Soto, all they have to do is look at the Padres to give them a $700 million shot of confidence. The Padres had Soto the entire 2023 season. You know what happened? They missed the playoffs. They traded him to the Yankees in the offseason, and they got better. The Yankees, if they don’t land Soto, can easily sign free agent Christian Walker for first base, sign Bregman or trade for Arenado for third base, trade for Bellinger to play center, move Aaron Judge back to right field, and still sign a frontline starter. Losing out on Soto could turn out to be a blessing in disguise
At this point, it's like trading in your old car that runs perfectly fine for another used car during inflation. Most likely you'll get an inferior version overall but it may look nicer at first. Pretty soon you'll be wondering why you traded in the one car that you knew how it ran and got you exactly where you needed to go without fail.
Not sure I follow the analogy. Only seems accurate if your old car suddenly was going to have its monthly payment tripled.
Point being, you're getting rid of something you know works for a possibility in something else just to save a few dollars. Either way, Bregman will sign for under $200 mil. If he was offered 7/$186 I bet he takes it. If Bregman doesn't sign with the Astros then watch for them to sign a patch for a 1 or 2 year at most, risk having a down year and assess their lineup after Tucker leaves next season. Astros mo has been not to trade guys in contract years, even when they know they're leaving. And I'm not sure they would risk looking like they're blowing everything up by trading Tucker and/or Framber (even though that's exactly what they should do). Trading Pressly makes the most sense because they can state he has value and they don't need 2 closers anyhow. Outside of that, look for more Dubon playing 3rd next season.
Eh, it was always going to play out this way the second they signed Bregman to the initial extension. They don’t have enough around Altuve/Alvarez without him. The bigger risk is wasting whatever prime years Altuve has left along with the last few years of the cheaper Yordan extension. Not really enough time in that window to build something from scratch. But also not really a sound strategy to put together the majority of the lineup via piece-meal year after year.
I agree with that 2nd paragraph. It’s not wise to waste the remainder of Altuve’s and Alvarez’s productive years. I’m just not sure Bregman is the answer, given they have several other positions staffed with roughly average hitters and Crane doesn’t seem included to go full-Cohen. I’m not sure the combo of Bregman/Singleton/Meyers is better than something like Polanco/Walker/Santander (not married to those names).
Theres no guaranteed answer with any combination… might as well go with what you know, what will still sell merchandise and have people clamoring for him/Altuve to get statues, etc…. And pray that Matthews (or anybody) in the farm has the potential of being as good as any of the callups that comprised the golden era while the current Altuve/Alvarez/whoever era plays out the string. I don’t see Crane spending big on anybody that isn’t a current Astro.
It may very well play out with Altuve starting and ending his career being on the worst team in the league during a rebuilt, while being on one of the best 10 year period teams in the history of baseball.
A smart GM will figure out how to add pieces in the present and hopefully guys like Dezenzo, Matthews, Baez, Janek will be the next group of stars coming up to the MLB level. If Dezenzo does what I think he will be doing this season. .260- .270 with a good obp in LF and they bring back Bregs while trading for a guy like Lowe the MLB team will be fine while the guys in the minors develop. This team will always be good as long as they keep developing pitchers and the farm is deep in pitching prospects from what I've read. I just don't get the doom and gloom a lot of y'all have been posting around here.
Would re-signing Bregs and trading for Lowe or Robert be considered a patch job. I'm also thinking Matthews and possibly Baez will be ready at some point next year.
Add a guy like Lowe, Robert or Walker to Bregman and if Dezenzo can build on his impressive winter ball season, having Chas in CF, Tucker in RF and Dezenzo in LF suddenly looks pretty good, especially if Chas can somewhat bounce back to his 2023 level. 1. Altuve 2. Alvarez 3. Tucker 4. Bregs 5. Diaz 6. Lowe 7. Chas 8. Pena 9. Dezenzo. With the pitching they've got and Melton, Matthews, Baez almost ready, you can win with that lineup. It's pretty good defensively too. After Crane's latest offer they're just waiting on an answer from Bregs and right now Boras is concentrating on Soto. Once Soto signs Bregs will sign shortly after.
