Scott Boras watches his leverage over Astros evaporate after Jack Flaherty's new deal

Scott Boras
Scott Boras | Brandon Sloter/GettyImages

It was fun while it lasted, wasn't it, Scott? Over the weekend, the Detroit Tigers agreed to a two-year deal with free agent pitcher Jack Flaherty. The right-hander split last season between the Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers, and after consistenly flirting with LA all offseason, decided to return to the Motor City for the 2025.

But how does this affect the Houston Astros, you might ask. Well, with Detroit locking up Flaherty to the tune of a two-year, $35 million deal, it feels highly unlikely that the Tigers are still in the market for Alex Bregman.

Prior to Flaherty's deal with the Tigers, ESPN's Buster Olney suggested that the right-hander was Plan B in the event Detroit was unable to seal the deal with Bregman. Detroit's projected 40-man payroll after the addition of Flaherty is north of $156 million according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. That figure is nearly $50 million more than the Tigers were paying in 2024.

Scott Boras watches his leverage over Astros evaporate after Jack Flaherty's new deal

While it's been heavily debated about whether or not Houston has the funds to afford bringing Bregman back into the fold, this latest deal for Flaherty seems to have torpedoed the idea of the infielder rejoining former Astros manager AJ Hinch in Detroit.

Furthermore, Boston Red Sox President Sam Kennedy didn't sound too happy about his team's pursuit of Bregman telling Mass Live's Chris Cotillo, "I’m not allowed to talk about any specific free agent negotiations or anything, but given that he’s unsigned, I think that speaks for itself."

If, and this is a big if, we're to infer that the Tigers and Red Sox are, at best, on the periphery of the Bregman negotiations, that could mean that Boras will be forced to come back to the table and negotiate with the Astros. Bregman's free agency has already been drawn out long enough, and it's time to end it.

But just because Detroit and Boston may be out of the Bregman sweepstakes doesn't mean that Houston automatically is first in line. Both the Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs could be alternatives if Bregman can't find what he's looking for with the Astros.

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