Leading up to MLB’s 2024-2025 free agency, it was a top heavy market, seeing players like Juan Soto (Mets), Blake Snell (Dodgers), Anthony Santander (Blue Jays), Max Fried (Yankees) and Willy Adames (Giants) all go to new franchise’s with near or over nine figure deals. That doesn’t include the many trades that happened either, such as Garrett Crochet (White Sox to Red Sox), Andres Gimenez (Guardians to Blue Jays), Devin Williams (Brewers to Yankees), Kyle Tucker (Astros to Cubs), and Cody Bellinger (Cubs to Yankees).

There are a plethora of middling major leaguers still on the market, but no one bigger than former Astros third baseman Alex Bregman. Bregman, a two-time All-Star, two-time World Series Champ, one-time Gold Glover, Silver Slugger and World Series MVP, certainly has some accolades to back up his success as a major league ballplayer since his debut in 2016.

That’s not to say there weren’t bumps in the road, including his reputation around the league for his involvement in the infamous Astros Cheating Scandal stemming back to 2017, his official rookie year. 2018-2019 were two of his best years, with an OPS over .900 in both of those seasons (1.015 in 2019), but since then he has come back down to an above average bat & glove at third base. He was drafted as a shortstop out of LSU by the Astros in the MLB Draft, but his range limitations, along with Astros star Carlos Correa manning the position, made him shift to third, where he’s played over 90% of his overall innings in the field during his MLB career. 

Now, why would a player with such consistency getting on base, a strong glove and a respected guy in the club house still be on the open market? Scott. Boras. The fact Bregman wants to find a deal that exceeds the Astros 6-year, $156 Million extension offered to him plays a factor too. With how the offseason has evolved, including his former team making moves to fill the hole Bregman left behind at third base for both the short term and long term by acquiring a top third base prospect and Isaac Parades, it does not look like Bregman will get the deal he was seeking.

As of today, January 26th, the Astros have small interest in bringing him back and arranging their deck of cards to get all of their acquisitions in the lineup. This leaves him to other suitors with spiked interest such as the New York Mets, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers (because, of course), Toronto Blue Jays, and the Boston Red Sox. Having this information, let’s break down the pros and cons of each team signing Bregman. 

 

Houston Astros 

Pro’s:

The fan favorite returns home! It is no secret that most fan bases despise Bregman, while the Houston faithful adore him for how integral he’s been during their chase of a dynasty in the late 2010’s to early 2020’s. He is revered in the city, being in multiple local popular business advertisements and creating his own salsa & sauce company (Breggy Bomb) that is a favorite to Houstonians. Keeping their fan favorite player will not only suit Bregman’s ease of not having to relocate or get in the good graces of a new fan base, but also be a good look on the Astros front office to finally keep one of their key players they developed after George Springer, Carlos Correa and now Kyle Tucker have all departed via free agency or trade. 

No State Income Tax. Compared to all of the other destinations that are interested in him, Houston is the only team that can offer no state income tax, which would save him plenty of money over the next four to six years for the contract he signs. Whether you believe it or not, players take this into account, hence why certain teams have to overpay to get their targets, or like the Toronto Blue Jays, who have struggled to get anyone because of Toronto’s tax laws. The Astros would also save a few bucks compared to other teams that are vying for his services.

Reassurance that the team will continue to stay competitive. There have been questions around baseball about how much longer this Astros franchise can continue to compete yearly for a title. Last year marked the first season since 2020 and the second year since 2017 that the Astros did not make the ALCS. Signing Bregman would reassure that “all systems are a go” and the window is still open. 

Cons:

Divvying out the largest contract in Astros History to a player that is not a true star – This would make their strategy of not overpaying seem like a thing in the past. Jim Crane, the Astros owner, prefers deals under six years (unless it’s Yordan Alvarez), and this would go against his statutes from the past. This would set the precedent for their future free agents that the contract they expect can be done. 

They don’t really have a spot for him. In order to retain Bregman, the rumor is Houston would have to move Jose Altuve to the outfield. Altuve has sure hands and decent range, but being 5-foot-5 in the outfield is definitely not ideal, and Parades doesn’t project to be serviceable in the outfield. Bregman can’t play the outfield either so it would make an uncomfortable starting nine for fielding purposes. The Astros outfield is considerably weak in terms of star power so it would at least help that.

Toronto Blue Jays

Pros: 

They finally got a top free agent. The Blue Jays have been striking out on top free agents for years, but notably the past couple (see the Shohei Ohtani negotiations). It seems like they are interested in pretty much any star in the open market, yet can’t seem to sign anyone from that list, due to extenuating circumstances out of their control. This would be a huge win to finally get someone. 

Adding to the line up. The Blue jays have a solid line up, with star power with Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. Both of those guys are going to be free agents in the next two years so to lock up someone long term could help with stability and entice those players to return when their contracts expire.

Bring a winner into the locker room. Toronto hasn’t gone far in the playoffs in over 20 years, and while they have George Springer who came from the Astros, he hasn’t lived up to his contract at all. Bringing another Astro in might be a strong step to being competitive for the pennant. (Good luck in the World Series). 

Cons:

A declining bat that is overpaid. Just like Springer, signing Bregman has the potential to age like milk. He is going to be in his age 31 season this upcoming year and  his bat could definitely take a step down. He has been pretty durable throughout his years but that could take a steep turn quick. Another bad contract for the Blue Jays could sink them for years to come.

They don’t have the ‘Crawford Boxes’. Bregman’s power production has been come  mostly due to the shallow left field at Minute Maid, making him somewhat of a ‘Crawford Boxes’ merchant. A large percentage of his homeruns have come from left field, and no longer having that luxury could be a spell of trouble for his power production. A precaution that is well worth the consideration for other teams.

 

Boston Red Sox 

Pros:

Finally bringing out the checkbook and signing a right handed bat they have so desperately needed. The Red Sox line up is stacked with lefties. Their top prospect Roman Anthony, who is also the top prospect in baseball, is also left handed. It is no secret they need some right handed bats. Signing Bregman would give them a balance in the line up they’re desperate to have.

Bregman mashes at Fenway. Bregman has a .375 Average and over .900 OPS at Fenway Park during his years with the Astros, and speaking from someone who goes to the ‘Red Sox – Astros’ series yearly in Boston, I can say first hand he absolutely destroys the storied ball park. We talked about ‘Crawford Boxes’, well the Green Monster is just a taller version of that, and the numbers speak that he has no problem getting it over the wall. It would fit well with his swing and would project to keep his numbers consistent with his years in Houston.

Cora gets his guy. It is no secret that Red Sox manager Alex Cora is fond of Bregman and would love a reunion of working together. Cora has had his struggle with the Red Sox front office the past few years, feeling like he hasn’t been given the tools for a team to compete year in and year out, hence finishing third to last every year since 2020, with the exception of 2021. It would be a huge boost to Cora’s confidence in his team.

Cons:

The depth. The Red Sox have unbelievable depth in their farm system, thanks to the work of their forward thinking former general manager and current general manager. Signing Bregman could block one of Kristian Campbell or Marcelo Mayer from having a legitimate chance to play everyday. The Red Sox fans are yearning to compete but may have to be patient and let these budding prospects work their way to stars.

The final years of his contract could be bloody. Bregman has played in the limelight of Houston his whole career, but there’s a difference between the attention players get in Houston compared to Boston. If his play is poor, the fans and media will absolutely rip him to shreds, and Bregman is already very hard on himself, which could spell trouble both with his production and the atmosphere in the locker room. 

New York Mets

Pros:

Stack the Lineup. I know Brian would smile about this signing, as much as he probably can’t stand him for his time on the Astros. The Mets are currently in an arms race with the current day George Steinbrenner Yankees in the Los Angeles Dodgers. It is no secret Mets owner Steve Cohen wants to compete and won’t be satisfied until his team hoists the World Series trophy. Getting another proven winner like Bregman can start to close the gap between the Dodgers and everyone else in baseball. They have already spent the money to build this team (see Juan Soto), so why not go all in?

Being in New York while not dealing with the Yankees media. Don’t get me wrong, the New York media is toxic no matter how you look at it, but the pressure of performing in the Bronx compared to Queens is a little different. It gives him a better opportunity to not be destroyed by the media so quickly, which could be trouble for Bregman. The pressure would still be on, but at least he won’t have the bozo 27-ring Yankee fans bully him on a daily basis. 

Cons:

Will a few bad signings take the checkbook usage down for Cohen? There is no doubt that Cohen will pay what he can to make his team compete. He already handed out the second largest contract this offseason and has made other moves. What if it doesn’t work out for Bregman? Will he become wary of going all in? Who’s to say but that is a fear Mets fans do not need.

Scott Boras. Steve Cohen cannot stand him and it’s well documented (see the Soto negotiations and the current Pete Alonso negotiations). Cohen having to deal with another Boras client could be his final straw if this goes south, and could stray him away completely from his clients, which could put them at a disadvantage for the future. Bregman being a bust could have huge ramifications for their future off seasons. 

Honorable Mentions

There are two other teams mentioned, the Tigers and Dodgers but Bregman has been pretty null on the Tigers and we don’t even need to talk about the pros and cons for what it would do for the Dodgers. They’re already stacked enough and it would just be a cherry on top for them. Do not even get me started on the long term ramifications for Major League Baseball if that happens. 

Overall, there are still suitors for the slow market for Alex Bregman but he will find a team come April. All of these teams can find their advantages for why to sign him, but be careful what you wish for. He has the potential to be a game changer for any of these teams, or the fear to be yet another bad contract in the free agency market. I would not be surprised if this drags out all the way to the beginning of Spring Training. Hopefully for Bregman’s sake that does not happen, but this could be a very similar situation to J.D. Martinez and his signing with the Red Sox.

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