Astros GM's bold Alex Bregman claims will put Scott Boras and Jim Crane on defense

Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown has a tough task ahead of him this offseason. Not only would he like to make progress elsewhere on the roster heading into 2025, but he is also forced to try and prevent the loss of Alex Bregman (or, at minimum, provide a quality lineup replacement for him). Complicating matters for Brown is that he has to deal with the opposing forces of agent Scott Boras and Astros owner Jim Crane.

It is a delicate balancing act to be sure. The Astros clearly would like to keep Bregman, but Boras is always a tough guy to deal with if you are looking for an agreement on a reasonable contract.

With Crane's well-documented aversion to long-term, big money deals and straying too far over the luxury tax line, those negotiations were always going to be difficult.

However, Brown may have found a way to thread the needle this week. At the ongoing GM meetings, Brown went on record saying not only that the Astros like their chances to re-sign Bregman, but that he considers third base to be Houston's top priority this offseason.

Dana Brown declares Alex Bregman, third base the Astros' top priority in a clever gambit

While it comes with some risk of backlash, Brown's public stance has some real cleverness to it. By projecting strength early and declaring the Astros' strong desire to bring Bregman back, the ball is now in others' courts. Boras is not known to be a guy that sways to public opinion, but Houston clearly thinks that Bregman wants to come back. They could be pressuring him in an indirect way and reminding Bregman what he would be leaving.

On the flip side, Brown's declaration positions himself with Astros fans as the guy that wants to get the deal done. If Bregman walks away from a reasonable offer or if it comes out that Crane wouldn't pony up, they would get the blame and not Brown. From a PR perspective, it was a power play of the highest order that could benefit him, even if it doesn't end up with Bregman back in Houston.

Obviously, one problem with this plan is Crane; if he wasn't on board, well ... he is the one that employs Brown, and he has a history of not tolerating rebellion from his executives. However, this feels like a situation where Crane is also aligned and pushing hard to bring Bregman back. Fans want him back, he has been an important part of the Astros for years, and Crane does want to field a winner.

The questions now is whether or not Boras and Bregman are actually negotiating in good faith, but the pressure campaign is on in order to find out.

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