Barring something wildly unexpected, Alex Bregman's career with the Houston Astros is probably over.
Astros general manager Dana Brown gave an update on the club's negotiations with their homegrown third baseman and it did not sound promising. Brown said negotiations have "stalled," according to The Athletic's Chandler Rome, adding that Houston presented Bregman with "a competitive offer."
Rome said that Brown did not respond when asked whether the team increased the reported six-year, $156 million offer it had presented to Bregman.
Even if the Astros haven't said it directly, the team's moves so far this offseason have already shown that it plans to move on from Bregman. The team pursued a trade for St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado before Arenado vetoed the deal. It also acquired Christian Walker on a contract that will pay him $20 million a year, bringing the Astros close to the luxury tax threshold. If Houston was to re-sign Bregman, it would certainly need to go over.
As it stands, Isaac Paredes appears on track to be the Astros' Opening Day third baseman. They acquired him in the trade with the Chicago Cubs for Kyle Tucker, and he will cost a fraction of what Bregman will command in free agency.
The market for Astros 3B Alex Bregman takes shape
With the Astros seemingly out of the equation, there appears to be a good chance Bregman is headed east. That could mean to either of the two New York teams, the Boston Red Sox or even the Toronto Blue Jays.
Michael Shapiro of the Houston Chronicle also suggested the Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers as "dark-horse candidates," but Milwaukee would likely need his price tag to drop in order to make it happen.
As it stands, Bregman's deal "could approach or exceed $200 million," according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. At age 30, that would mean his new contract would take him out of his prime years with a possible rough few seasons on the back end.
Of the realistic options, the Mets might bring the most intrigue. Already approaching $1 billion spent this offseason (most of that on Juan Soto), team owner Steve Cohen could have Bregman play third and still manage to bring back first baseman Pete Alonso. With Francisco Lindor already in Queens, those two would give New York's NL club the most potent offense in baseball and probably catapult them into World Series favorite territory.