The Houston Astros have offered third baseman Alex Bregman a six-year, $156 million contract, reports MLB.com. The offer could be the largest contract in franchise history, surpassing José Altuve‘s $151 million extension in 2018. Bregman and agent Scott Boras are said to be seeking a deal north of $200 million.
Six years and $156 million is $5 million more than the $151 million, six-year extension that the San Francisco Giants offered Matt Chapman in September. Chapman’s deal indicated that Alex Bregman might be able to secure a larger contract. However, the Astros have a track record of letting their homegrown stars leave as free agents, as seen with Carlos Correa, Dallas Keuchel, and George Springer. While they are making an effort to retain Bregman, there is currently a gap in negotiations.
Astros Offer Alex Bregman Lucrative Contract
Under the ownership of Jim Crane, the Astros have never offered more than a five-year contract to any free agent. Despite this, the team operated with a top-five payroll last season and exceeded the Competitive Balance Tax for the first time. Crane acknowledged that Altuve’s request at the end of the season for the club to re-sign Bregman caught his attention. However, the final decision will ultimately be based on financial considerations rather than sentiment.
“You have to be cognizant of that because the longer the contracts on the back end, it gets difficult to carry it and you decrease your ability to be competitive when you’ve got a lot of money tied up,” Crane said on November 18.
Bregman has been at the forefront of Houston’s success in the past decade. Last season, he batted .260/.315/.453 with 26 home runs, 75 RBI and won a Gold Glove Award at third base. Bregman is a pillar in the clubhouse and rightfully so.
The club is already exploring backup options in case Bregman signs with another team. One of their top candidates to take over at third base is Jorge Polanco, who may be looking for a bounce-back season. Polanco, a switch-hitter recovering from knee surgery, had a career-low OPS of .652 in 118 games with the Seattle Mariners last season. However, he did manage to post a .724 OPS and hit 11 of his 16 home runs in just 63 games from July 9 until the end of the season.
If the Astros do not re-sign Bregman or invest significantly in third base, they will become more proactive in seeking upgrades at first base, where Houston recorded the fifth-lowest OPS (.651) in Major League Baseball last season.
Main Photo: © Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
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