Major League Baseball is now just days away from seeing camps open across Florida and Arizona in preparation for the exhibition season. There are still some notable moves to be made between now and then, however, and that’s where we come in handy. Below, we’ve compiled all of the day’s most notable news, moves, and rumors in one convenient spot for your consumption.
Astros increase Bregman offer
Third baseman Alex Bregman is now the last remaining highly ranked and unsigned member of the free-agent class. Predictably, interested parties are doing what they can to convince him to join their ranks. That includes the Astros, who have reportedly improved their offer to Bregman in recent days, according to the New York Post. Houston had previously offered a six-year pact worth nearly $160 million.
It’s unclear what, precisely, the Astros are offering Bregman now. At the same time, KPRC 2 Houston’s Ari Alexander reports that the offer is “unlikely” to get a deal done between the sides. Should the Astros find a way to close the gap, it seems likely they would slide incumbent second baseman Jose Altuve to left field to create space on the infield. Earlier this winter, the Astros acquired third baseman Isaac Paredes as part of the Kyle Tucker trade with the Cubs.
CBS Sports ranked Bregman as the No. 3 free agent available this offseason, writing the following:
Bregman has been one of the most productive third basemen in the sport for much of his career. He’s compiled the sixth-most WAR at the position since 2020, putting him ahead of Rafael Devers and behind only the who’s who of this era’s third basemen. He’s had a terrific career to date. Yet this exercise is, in part, about looking forward. The more we dug in on Bregman, the more we developed reservations about his bat. There’s no denying his feel for contact but we’re not as confident about the other elements. For instance, Statcast’s calculations suggest he would have at least 30 fewer career home runs had he hit the same array of batted balls in one of 17 other MLB fields. You can’t hold that against Bregman — you golf the course you’re on — but it does suggest his power might play down elsewhere. There’s also the matter of his walk rate, which cratered to a career-low 6.9% last season as he grew more aggressive. Bregman’s bat-to-ball and defensive skills remain good enough for him to provide value; there’s just a little more reason to say “hm” here than his name value indicates.
In addition to the Astros, Bregman’s rumored suitors pool includes the Tigers, Red Sox, and Cubs.
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