Astros Will 'Definitely Engage' in Alex Bregman Contract amid MLB Rumors, GM Says

Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown said Wednesday that the team will hold contract talks with free-agent-to-be Alex Bregman following the 2024 season.

"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,'" he told Brian McTaggart of 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."

Bregman, 30, is having another solid season for the Astros, hitting .256 with 23 homers, 67 RBI, 74 runs and a .754 OPS in 136 contests.

By his own lofty standards, it's probably something of a down year—Bregman has finished with 90 or more RBI in four seasons and an OPS above .800 six times. He remains one of the better third baseman in the sport, however, carrying a 3.1 offensive WAR and a 0.9 defensive WAR, per Baseball Reference.

He's also become one of the most decorated October hitters in his generation. His 19 postseason homers are tied for the sixth most in baseball history, while his 54 playoff RBI are tied for eighth.

He and the Astros (82-69) are primed for another October run, currently holding a five-game lead in the AL West over the Seattle Mariners (77-74). Barring a shocking late-season collapse, the Astros will clinch an eighth straight playoff berth and their seventh division crown in the past eight seasons.

Keeping the band together isn't going to be cheap, of course. The Astros already have a payroll of $146.6 million heading into 2025, per Spotrac, and that's before the potential re-signings of pending free agents like Bregman, Justin Verlander, Yusei Kikuchi and Jason Heyward, among others.

Of that group, Bregman will be the priority. But he'll also be one of the top free agents available in the sport, creating the possibility of a bidding war.