ASTROS NEWS
MLB insider reveals good news & bad news on negotiations between Astros, Alex Bregman
Feb 12, 2024, 11:56 am
Houston is on the clock. Composite Getty Image.
It's been a wild few weeks for the Astros and their fans as owner Jim Crane has whipped out the check book, signing Jose Altuve to a 5-year $125 million extension, and closer Josh Hader to a 5-year $95 million deal.
Despite Crane committing $220 million of guaranteed money, all anyone in Houston can say is, “What about Bregman?”
Astros GM Dana Brown said recently the team plans on making Bregman an offer, but there's not a timetable set right now. So as we patiently wait to see what the future holds for Bregman, we're starting to hear some rumblings from the media about the situation.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale shared his two cents on the matter in his Notebook on Sunday.
The Houston Astros plan to make All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman a contract offer before he hits free agency, but it’s not expected to come close to the $300 million over 10 years it likely will take to keep him.
No Astros player has ever received a contract longer than six years or more than $150 million.
Nightengale basically echoed Brown's statement from last week, which isn't really new information. But saying the contract offer isn't likely to come close to what Bregman is looking for is interesting. While it's good news the Astros are planning on making a run at Breggy, it's definitely bad news for Alex if they only intend to pay him half of what he's looking for.
While not surprising, this does line up with what many have come to expect from the Astros. They don't hand out deals over six or seven years, and they certainly don't offer contracts in the $300 million range. While Bregman could command that on the open market, the idea of paying Bregman more than twice as much as Altuve or Yordan Alvarez seems doubtful at best.
Our best guess is Houston will offer Bregman a deal similar to the one they offered Carlos Correa (5-years, $160 million). And we know how that turned out. Correa moved on and so did the Astros with Jeremy Pena.
32 million dollars a year for 5 years is nothing to sneeze at. But you can't blame Bregman for wanting to cash in this offseason. He turns 30 in March, so this is his best chance to land a 10-year mega-deal if that's his top priority.
Another note from Nightengale caught our attention
The Astros have already sold a franchise-record 22,000 season tickets. If the organization is considering handing Breggy a massive deal, it doesn't hurt to be selling a historic amount of season tickets. The money has to come from somewhere.
At the end of the day, the contract uncertainty doesn't seem to be impacting him negatively. He's still behaving like one of the team leaders. He and his wife Reagan recently helped welcome Josh Hader and his wife to the organization.
Maybe there's still a chance he returns.
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Aug 1, 2025, 4:05 pm
Carlos Correa is returning to Houston, giving the Astros a needed jolt for their infield with a stunning trade from the Minnesota Twins ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline, according to a person with direct knowledge of the deal.
Correa spent his first seven years in Houston, where he became one of the most beloved players in franchise history, helping the team to six playoff appearances, three American League pennants and its first World Series title in 2017 — a championship tainted by a sign-stealing scandal. The top pick in the 2012 amateur draft and 2015 AL Rookie of the Year was part of the homegrown core that helped the Astros go from the league’s laughingstock to perennial contenders.
Correa, who waived his no-trade clause, has exclusively played shortstop in his 11-year major league career but will almost certainly move to third base for the AL West leaders with shortstop Jeremy Peña close to returning from the injured list. The Astros need help at third with All-Star Isaac Paredes out indefinitely with a hamstring injury.
Charismatic and an unquestioned leader in the clubhouse, Correa could help galvanize a team that has managed to remain atop the division standings despite dealing with multiple injuries to both its lineup and pitching staff.
Correa reunites with second baseman Jose Altuve, who is the Astros’ longest tenured player and one of his closest friends on the team. When asked about the possibility of Correa returning to Houston on Wednesday, Altuve raved about him before saying: “So I think — if anything (were) to happen, I hope it’s the best for him and for us.”
The 30-year-old Correa was named to two of his three All-Star Games while with the Astros and won a Gold Glove Award in 2021. He seemed to embrace the villain role when Houston became the league’s most hated team after it was revealed the Astros illegally stole signs in their run to the 2017 title and during the 2018 season.
He left when he became a free agent before the 2022 season when the Astros wouldn’t pay him what he believed he was worth, signing a three-year deal worth just over $105 million. Correa opted out of that contract after one year but re-signed with the Twins on a six-year, $200 million deal, of which just under $100 million is still owed. The contract also includes vesting options for the 2029-2032 seasons.
While Correa’s defense at shortstop has been impeccable and his leadership in the clubhouse strong, the investment for the Twins simply hasn’t panned out. He played the 2023 season through plantar fasciitis in his left foot, batting just .230 with 131 strikeouts in 135 games and a pedestrian .711 OPS.
He shined in the playoffs, helping the Twins end a record 18-game postseason losing streak and win a series for the first time in 21 years, and was enjoying an All-Star season in 2024 before plantar fasciitis popped up again – this time in his right foot. He had to withdraw from the All-Star Game and didn’t return until mid-September, after the Twins were already mired in a sharp swoon that pushed them out of playoff contention.
Correa has been much healthier this year, but not as productive. His .905 OPS in 2024 has fallen to .704 this year, with seven home runs in 93 games.
The contract he signed 2 1/2 years ago now constitutes a much larger percentage of the team’s payroll, after a sharp decline in regional television revenue in light of the bankruptcy of Diamond Sports Group prompted a spending reduction by Twins ownership. The Pohlad family has since put the club up for sale.
What this deal really means for Houston!
Don't miss the video below as we react to the Correa news and discuss how these additions impact Houston in the short and long term. Do these moves make the Astros favorites to win the World Series? We wouldn't rule it out!
Plus, we share our thoughts on what Ramon Urias and Jesus Sanchez will provide after being traded to Houston!
The MLB season is approaching the homestretch! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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