Red Sox target Alex Bregman has reportedly resumed contract talks with Astros

Red Sox

The Red Sox were presumed to be one of the favorites to sign Bregman.

A possible wrench has been thrown into the Red Sox’ pursuit of Alex Bregman.

The Astros have resumed contract discussions with the All-Star free agent as they seek a potential reunion, The Athletic‘s Chandler Rome reported Thursday. Additionally, the Astros are close to dealing set-up reliever Ryan Pressly to the Cubs in a move that would help Houston clear some money to help its effort in re-signing Bregman, USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale and the New York Post’s Jon Heyman added.

Prior to Thursday, it was believed that the Astros were out of the running to bring back Bregman. They received All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes from the Cubs when they traded All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker. They also signed first baseman Christian Walker to a three-year, $60 million deal, presumably squeezing Bregman out of its infield.

Astros general manager Dana Brown even said that talks between the team and Bregman had “stalled” in December, leading many to presume that his days in Houston were over. The Red Sox, along with the Tigers and Blue Jays, reportedly became the top teams involved in the Bregman sweepstakes afterward.

But the Astros have, apparently, never pulled out of the Bregman sweepstakes. They’ve kept their six-year, $156 million offer on the table all offseason, according to Rome. If Houston was able to re-sign Bregman, it would still keep Paredes and second baseman Jose Altuve, Rome added in his report.

The Astros’ reported re-engagement in contract talks with Bregman came as it seemed the Red Sox were moving in position to become the frontrunner to land the All-Star. It was previously reported that the Tigers were at a standstill in negotiations with Bregman while the Blue Jays signed outfielder Anthony Santander and are reportedly “advancing” in contract talks with star first baseman Pete Alonso.

“To me, I think [the Red Sox are] the most likely as we sit here at this moment to sign Alex Bregman,” Heyman said on MLB Network on Wednesday.

If the Red Sox were able to sign Bregman, manager Alex Cora has said that he would move the third baseman to second base, making it clear he’d like to reunite with a player he coached in his lone season with the Astros.

“I cannot go into specifics of the free agent [process] but I think he’s a pull hitter that puts the ball in play and he’s a good defender,” Cora told NESN of Bregman earlier in January. “The intangibles are the intangibles. We all know that. The kid, he’s a winner since LSU all the way to the Astros.”

While the fit on the field might be a bit out of place for Bregman, he would help the Red Sox address a key area in their lineup. Even though Bregman had a down season in 2024, he still hit .260 with a .768 OPS and 26 home runs. All three of those stats would be the best among right-handed hitters on the Red Sox who played at least 100 games last season.

Bregman also has a career 1.240 OPS in 21 career games played at Fenway Park. That’s the best mark of any player with at least 95 plate appearances in the Red Sox’ home ballpark.

Astros owner Jim Crane has been unwilling to enter the luxury tax for the 2025 season, according to Rome. Houston has roughly $220 million in salary allocated for the 2025 season, per Spotrac, which is $21 million short of the first luxury tax threshold.

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