The Houston Astros' ascent to becoming one of Major League Baseball's most consistent winners coincided with the arrival of Alex Bregman. From 2017-24, Bregman and the Astros have reached the postseason every year, winning three World Series rings along the way.
Now, as Bregman explores the free agent market, he and the Astros must contemplate a future apart from their longtime third baseman. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the two sides are far apart on their salary objectives for a new deal.
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"The Houston Astros would love to have Alex Bregman back on a six-year deal worth about $156 million," Nightengale reported Monday, "but Bregman is seeking a deal worth at least $200 million."
The Astros projected to exceed the first competitive balance tax threshold ($237 million) by about $21.8 million in 2024. Re-signing Bregman would almost certainly incur a tax penalty for a second consecutive season. In an interview with The Athletic last week, Astros owner Jim Crane addressed that possibility directly.
"We've done it," Crane told Chandler Rome. "We'll see where we end up. It depends on what we need and where the shoes drop."
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While Crane did Rome he might incur a luxury tax for the second consecutive year — this time at an increased tax rate, per MLB rules — he also suggested the team would trim from its franchise-record $258.8 million payroll.
It's hard to imagine Bregman in another uniform. He's accrued 39.6 Wins Above Replacement across parts of nine seasons in Houston, according to Baseball Reference, slashing .272/.366/.483. That production more than justified the Astros' use of their second overall pick in the 2015 MLB draft on the former LSU star.
Bregman has made two All-Star teams, won a Silver Slugger Award, and earlier this month collected the first Gold Glove Award of his career.
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In the postseason, Bregman has slashed .238/.346/.443 in 99 games, coinciding with the longest stretch of success in the history of the franchise. His co-star, second baseman Jose Altuve, spoke openly about wanting Bregman back after the Astros' sudden elimination after two Wild Card games in October.
"He gave a lot to this organization," Altuve told reporters, via ESPN. "Now it's time for us, as a team, as an organization, to pay him back and make him stay here."
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Crane told Rome that he addressed this with Altuve after the season.
"We told him we were going to make a strong effort to get it done and we'd do our best," Crane said. "It carries some weight with me and carries some weight with Dana (Brown, the team's general manager)."
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