How Astros GM Tackled Alex Bregman Questions Amid Red Sox Interest

The Astros made things quite interesting in the Alex Bregman market for suitors like the Boston Red Sox.

Houston reportedly re-engaged with talks with the All-Star infielder and has its six-year $156 million offer still on the table. General manager Dana Brown admitted last month that talks “stalled” between the sides and addressed reports of the fresh discussions Friday.

“Of course, Bregman’s still a free agent. Going all the back to December, we had multiple conversations,” Brown told reporters, per Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston. “Looked like it was going to be tough to get them done. We didn’t want to wait around so we started to add certain players back, whether it was (Issac) Parades or (Christian) Walker, we knew we were getting the right pieces to our lineup. Now to see that he’s still a free agent, it’s pretty interesting. We see it every day. We’ve had conversations internally. But that’s kind of where it is right now. He’s still a free agent.”

Bregman’s agent Scott Boras seemed to take a shot at Houston for not being able to get a deal done with his client. The two-time World Series champion reportedly is open to a return, and a dialogue seems to be taking place.

“Scott and I exchange text messages, leave it at that,” Brown said.

Astros owner Jim Crane doesn’t want to get over the competitive balance tax. However, insiders and Brown’s comments seem to indicate Bregman could be an exception. Houston reportedly was trying to trade reliever Ryan Pressly, which could affect Bregman’s market.

The Red Sox were viewed as the favorite to sign Bregman, but there’s growing movement from other suitors the longer things play out.