The Astros lock up their third baseman for years to come
Report: Bregman gets new deal through 2024
Mar 20, 2019, 5:56 am
The Astros lock up their third baseman for years to come
Just days after Astros third baseman Alex Bregman complained about his money for 2019 and just hours after he signed with Adidas he has almost $100 million reasons to no longer be upset.
MLB sources: The #Astros have reached an agreement on a six-year/$100 million contract with All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman that includes this season. Deal covers this year & the 3 years he'd be eligible for arbitration plus the first two years Alex can become a free agent.
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) March 20, 2019
The deal will make Bregman a member of the Astros through the 2024 season, same as Jose Altuve. He will be 30 when the deal expires. It is the second largest contract in club history trailing on Jose Altuve's extension and tying Carlos Lee's free agent contract.
Bregman led the league in doubles in 2018 and was an All-Star while finishing fifth in the MVP value. He led the Astros in hits, runs, home run, RBI, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage in 2018.
His extension follows a new deal for Astros reliever Ryan Pressly earlier on Tuesday which was the largest extension ever for a non-closer reliever.
Source confirms: #Astros in agreement with reliever Ryan Pressly on a two-year, $17.5M extension. First reported: @Chandler_Rome.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 20, 2019
With Bregman's extension the starting infield is in place through next season before Yuli Gurriel's contract expires. Carlos Correa is eligible for free agency in 2022.
The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!