He is certainly the 24th or 25th if he is not the 26th. I would not expect just any prospect in return, I would demand at least a solid reliever plus a team top 15 prospect for him. I would be shocked if the Astros accepted less.
I rather win the season and postseason with natural development of players than "win the offseason" by impulse signings and trades
If JV’s 2025 option vests and he takes the $35 mil player option & Bregman signs an extension/new deal for around the $30 mil he will earn this season it will put the Astros payroll around $200 mil next winter (before ARB) with only Kendall Graveman as a FA. Pressly’s mutual option would put the Astros around $215 mil…About 27 mil less than this years payroll that they most certainly would topple with Tucker, Valdez, etc in ARB. If they wanna keep Bregman and not be in the luxury tax, I think best bet is to use the Ohtani model and backload the deal Atleast beyond the first year of the deal. Maybe 10-15 mil for next season should allow them to be under after ARB without giving up anyone. Much better position in 2026. Bregman making $30 mil would put payroll at around $150 mil. Should have internal options developed to replace JV, J. Abreu, Montero, Pressly and Urquidy. Should have 60-70 mil in flexibilty to use on Tucker, Valdez and whoever else.
Good call. Who could have known Graveman would go out for the year this early making Hader almost essential. I do think the return of Long relief (more than 1.1 innings) will return as injured starting pitchers return to a crowded rotation.
I've got no issue with resting guys, espesially the older guys, to keep them fresh. How the OF was deployed last season was not load management.
If Hader replaces Graveman... we still have holes in the bullpen since we let Neris and Maton walk... and Stanek is not on the roster. We are top heavy, but how much do we trust who's left in the first half of the season before Garcia and McCullers are around?
The way Altuve was used was... but yet... I think Dusty somehow wore down Bregman and Abreu when an extra day of rest here and there would have helped.
I know we had to do something last season to buoy the rotation, but man I think we are gonna really hate that JV deal as times moves on.
With the Altuve extension and Graveman’s injury, Bregman is the only pending free agent on Houston’s roster (assuming Pressly and Verlander’s options get picked up)
Im okay seeing who on the 40 man can fill those open mid relief spots if any of them can. There’s plenty of quality mid relief/late inning guys on 1yr deals on non contending teams to nab at the deadline. It’s the easiest thing to acquire at that time. I wouldn’t mind Stanek back on a 1yr deal, he still throws 98 and could bounce back to the elite guy he was his first year or two in Houston
