Astros’ willingness to spend on Alex Bregman bodes well for ace's extension talks

There are plenty of reasons to be very skeptical of the chances that the Houston Astros are going to bring back Alex Bregman. The team already has his replacement at third base in Isaac Paredes, and every update on the status of negotiations points to the Astros and Bregman going their separate ways.

However, there was an interesting wrinkle that emerged on Thursday when it was revealed that Houston DID up their offer to Bregman after having extended a six year, $156 million deal earlier this offseason. There are no indications whatsoever that that increase came close to convincing Bregman, and it still seems likely that he will play elsewhere in 2025.

While we don't know how much more the Astros are offering, the fact that Houston is willing to stay engaged on Bregman bodes well for Houston's ability to extend starting pitcher Framber Valdez.

Astros' increased offer to Alex Bregman signals Houston's ability to offer Framber Valdez a contract extension

General manager Dana Brown has long wanted to lock up Valdez with an extension going back to his first few days running the Astros' front office. Little progress has been made since then, and the two sides were so far apart this offseason that Valdez's name emerged in trade talks.

Since trading away Kyle Tucker, the Astros have declared that they're not planning to deal Valdez, putting the ball in their court once again. Assuming Houston loses Bregman, the Astros could turn their attention toward Valdez. The right-hander is viewed as a cornerstone for the Astros' rotation and is a perennial Cy Young contender. With a career 3.30 ERA in 157 appearances, it's hard to think of a player who's more deserving of a long-term deal.

If Bregman doens't re-sign, there are no longer financial excuses when it comes to a Valdez extensions. It's now it is matter of whether or not they are willing to hand a pitcher, even one as good as Valdez, a hefty extension. Astros fans shall have to wait and see if Houston's front office is willing to treat him the same way as their likely departing third baseman.

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