The Houston Astros are in the process of locking down their fourth consecutive American League West title, but general manager Dana Brown has already made offseason plans to discuss a potential extension with impending free agent third baseman Alex Bregman and his agent Scott Boras.
“We were in Anaheim the other day and I ran into [agent Scott Boras] and we started talking a little bit, and we both said, ‘Look, once we get towards the end of the season and things are over, we’ll definitely engage and talk about it,'” Brown told MLB.com. “We had a small conversation about it. Right now, we’re not in any discussions about contract offers. We both agreed we will meet back up.”
Brown has, in the past, publicly expressed his desire for both Bregman and second baseman Jose Altuve to finish their careers with the Astros. Brown has since signed Altuve to a five-year extension that runs through the 2029 campaign.
Bregman, 30, is expected to be one of the top handful of free agents to hit the open market this winter. He entered Friday having hit .254/.311/.436 (113 OPS+) with 23 home runs and 67 runs batted in over the course of his first 138 games. Bregman’s contributions have been worth an estimated 3.6 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference’s estimates. This season marks the third in a row he’s cleared at least three wins, and brings his three-year total to 13 wins on the nose.
It’s not yet clear what kind of contract terms Bregman and Boras will seek over the offseason. The richest free-agent third baseman contract since the 2019 offseason belongs to Anthony Rendon, who inked a seven-year pact worth $245 million with the Los Angeles Angels. No other third baseman has cleared a $30 million annual average value, and only one other (Kris Bryant) was able to top $25 million per season.
