Ag_07 said:

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Nothing seems right about this Bregman returning smoke.

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I agree. nothing about it makes sense to me for the Astros to bring him back. Need an OF bat at this point, and I feel like there is 0% chance the Astros want Altuve in the OF, whether he'd be willing to play LF or not. . Boras trying to save face badly imo

With as much as Altuve wants Breggy back (according to reports), and our current salary situation, it seems plausible that Altuve could be open to adjusting his contract to make things work. But will that be enough to bring Breggy back? Is it the "smart" thing to do from an organizational standpoint? I'm not so sure.

If all Bregman has left from other teams is short term deals with opt outs after every season and he rather do that in Houston then you 100% make it happen. That would be best case scenario. You at least get another year of Prime Bregman and then he can do this whole thing again next off season if he wants to. If Bregman wants back in on the original 6/$156 deal that is a different discussion but as many have said on this thread already if others are willing to start deferring $ then that's something you definitely consider. Bregman makes this team better and the goal next season is still a world series. It's also highly unlikely that Crane is willing to spend this $ on any other player so if it's Bregman or Heyward we should all be rooting hard for this to happen.

Prosperdick said:

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Mr.Bond said:

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Has parades ever played OF

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Officially I don't think he has but I guarantee he has a stronger arm than Jose.

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And worse range.

A timeshare between Yordan, Altuve, Paredes, Bregman, and Walker could look like this:

LF

• Altuve - 42.5%
• Alvarez - 42.5%
• Other - 15%

DH

• Altuve - 30%
• Alvarez - 55%
• Other - 15%

2B

• Altuve - 25%
• Paredes - 70%
• Other - 5%

3B

• Bregman - 90%
• Paredes - 9%
• Other - 1%

1B

• Walker - 90%
• Paredes - 5%
• Other - 5%

Prosperdick said:

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Mr.Bond said:

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Has parades ever played OF

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Officially I don't think he has but I guarantee he has a stronger arm than Jose.

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Jake has a stronger arm than Jose.

I've moved on. As I looked through the lens with clear eyes I realized his progressive downfall since 2019 is staggeringly awful....... His contract wont age well at all. IF he came back Id offer 3 years at most

Ag_07 said:

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I'm not convinced adding Bregman to this team as constructed makes them that much better.

At least not that much better to offset the luxury tax ramifications.

It makes absolutely no sense to build a team without Bregman only to come back and force him in where it doesn't really work on or off the field.

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Totally agree in the long term sense.

Assuming they can do deferred contracts in large enough scale for enough people and money to drop the AAV across the board and stay below the CBT, then a 1 year with opt outs after would not be the end of the world.

But by the time Cam Smith is ready, having Bregman here makes no sense.

Dana made the Tucker trade to replace Bregman. Resigning him now makes that trade questionable.

But with or without Bregman, we are missing out by not deferring money. Yes it kicks the can down the road but it's a mechanism to lower your collective AAV, stay under the CBT and buy time for the CBT levels to rise in the future.

It's going to be strange seeing Tuck and maybe Press in the cubs uniforms. Anyone else making the trip to the Notre Dame game and hitting Wrigley that weekend? Can't wait.

I will say if I trust anybody to put their heart and soul into learning a new position, it would be Altuve.

So that gives me reason to think it's not 100% crazy

If we sign Bregman, hopefully it's a one year deal. Looking ahead to 2026 and 2027 (and beyond), is $30M going to Bregman the best use of that money? He's been great for this franchise, but we're paying a declining Altuve. I don't think we need to pay any other declining veterans based on nostalgia. There will be plenty on the market that we could get for less.

spadilly said:

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It's going to be strange seeing Tuck and maybe Press in the cubs uniforms. Anyone else making the trip to the Notre Dame game and hitting Wrigley that weekend? Can't wait.

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We are making that trip. Excited to get to Wrigley again but wish the opponent was better for that Friday afternoon game.

Astros and Cubs are believed showing significant interest in Alex Bregman, with Tigers and Red Sox among others involved. His longtime Astros team, also engaged at the start of winter, want him enough they may move Paredes to 2B and Altuve to LF to accommodate.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 24, 2025

So Astros, Cubs, Tigers, and Red Sox. Cubs won't spend big, nor will the Tigers. Red Sox have division between Cora and the ownership / GM and they don't want to spend big. Astros are in a decent position if they want him.

And we thought teams took a lot of extra bases of Jake and his noodle arm. Just wait until we have Jake and Altuve out there.

And for the record I suspect this reengagement with Bregman has Crane's fingerprints all over it.

Marvin said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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I think MathGuy has a point. We need to get into the deferred game to stay under the cap.

Anthony Santander's five-year, $92.5 million with the Toronto Blue Jays is worth $68.6 million, in present day value according to calculations by the players union, with $50 million deferred. The AAV is about $13.7 million for CBT purposes, per @ShiDavidi

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 23, 2025

Let's give Breggy his 6/200, but only pay him 10 a seasons and deferred 140 M between 2032 to 2044. If I did the math right, that puts the present day value at 6/144 with an AAV of 24.

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If Altuve wants Bregman back so bad, have him restructure with some deferrals. I'm not saying it's the smart thing on either side, but if that's the way the game is played...

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I think this deferral nonsense is a mirage. It works well for teams like the Dodgers that have more money than God and make more off their TV contract than they spend on payroll every year. Having an extra 10-15 million a year on their payroll 10 years from now is not going to matter at all to them because they are going to be over the luxury threshold no matter what. For teams that are not that profitable and that need to stay at or around the luxury threshold every year, adding an extra 10-15 million to your payroll for guys who haven't played for the team in the last 10 years will be the difference between picking up those needed pieces in the off-season to be competitive or having a AAA+ roster.

That bullpen is going to be thin if we trade Pressly… I am admittedly struggling to see why we need to trade him to re-sign Bregman. We'd still be in the tax, so we might as well try to keep both

EABC_AG said:

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That bullpen is going to be thin if we trade Pressly… I am admittedly struggling to see why we need to trade him to re-sign Bregman. We'd still be in the tax, so we might as well try to keep both

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He has requested a trade in the past. He acted like a spoiled child for most of last year. A change of scenery would probably do him good

EastCoastAgNc said:

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#MLBNHotStove reacts to reports that Alex Bregman and the Astros are interested in a reunion. pic.twitter.com/YidN8iDrM8

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 24, 2025

These guys suggest we trade Parades if we get Alex back. Unless we get a really good major league ready LH OF in return, I don't know that I like that idea.

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No way. He's more valuable to us than anyone else.

the 6/156 offer to Bregman was before the 3/60 deal was made with Walker

don't see how the payroll would work for the next 3 seasons with Bregman back on it

remember Yordan and Javier go to $26 MM and $21 MM respectively in 2026

I really don't remember Pressly throwing fits all year like some of you say he did. Can someone post examples? Genuinely asking, not being facetious

Ag_07 said:

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And we thought teams took a lot of extra bases of Jake and his noodle arm. Just wait until we have Jake and Altuve out there.

And for the record I suspect this reengagement with Bregman has Crane's fingerprints all over it.

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FYI

EastCoastAgNc said:

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#MLBNHotStove reacts to reports that Alex Bregman and the Astros are interested in a reunion. pic.twitter.com/YidN8iDrM8

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 24, 2025

These guys suggest we trade Parades if we get Alex back. Unless we get a really good major league ready LH OF in return, I don't know that I like that idea.

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Nope, don't like that idea.

I think it's just referencing his body language and facial expressions when he was yanked a handful of times.

The only concrete stuff I can think of is him not celebrating or taking a team photo during the Division clinch festivities.

texasaggie2015 said:

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I really don't remember Pressly throwing fits all year like some of you say he did. Can someone post examples? Genuinely asking, not being facetious

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In the game where the team clinched the division, he did not pitch well. He basically did the Blake Snell "wtf are we doing" as he was getting pulled from the game, and then he was nowhere to be found in the celebration after the win. Not in the team pic, not in the clubhouse. I remember him rolling his eyes/acting exasperated when he would get pulled after making a mess in other games.

Trading Framber later around the deadline seems to be the quickest way to get under the CBT.

(if Alex were to return)