Astros notes: Bregman, Alvarez, McCormick

Last week, Astros GM Dana Brown announced that he hopes to discuss a new contract with the third baseman Alex Bregman before the franchise’s third baseman hits the open market this November. At the time of this interview, Brown stated that he and Bregman’s agent, Scott Boras, had briefly discussed Bregman’s future and agreed to wait until “this thing is over” before entering into any contract negotiations. Now Bregman himself has weighed in, expressing a similar desire to sideline his impending free agency until the end of the 2024 season.

“I honestly didn’t really think about it much.” Bregman told reporters yesterday when asked about the possibility of leaving Houston, according to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. “I was just focused on winning a game and winning this division… I was really focused on winning.”

Waiting until the end of the postseason (or until the Astros are eliminated) before engaging in talks about Bregman’s future in Houston is something of a surprise, especially given Brown’s long-standing commitment to discussions with the third baseman and his representation before him hits free agency. With that in mind, it’s not necessarily a shock from the player’s perspective that he would rather focus on the upcoming playoffs before turning to contract negotiations.

In general, it is extremely rare for players to return to their current club so close to free agency, especially when it comes to stars of Bregman’s caliber. However, it does happen occasionally, such as when the Mets were closer Edwin Diaz with a record-breaking contract just days before free agency opens in the 2022-23 offseason. That Bregman is represented by Boras Corporation, which has generally advised its clients to establish their assets on the open market, could be another potential obstacle to a deal before hitting free agency. Of course, it is important to note that Boras customers occasionally sign contract extensions with their clubs; Bregman himself and his fellow third baseman did this earlier in his career Matt Chapman signed a long-term contract extension with the Giants earlier this month, even though a return to free agency was just two months away at the time.

While Bregman’s uncertain future faces the club in the longer term, the star bat’s status is a much more pressing concern Jordan Alvarez The playoffs are just around the corner. Alvarez sat out of club play on Sunday with a right knee sprain, but seemed somewhat optimistic after speaking to reporters about the issue yesterday (X video link courtesy of KHOU11’s Luis Ortiz). Alvarez said that while walking has become easier in the days since his retirement, he still has to wait for the inflammation in his knee to subside before he can play again. That will keep him out of action for the club’s final series of the season against the Guardians, manager Joe Espada told reporters (including Kawahara) today.

It’s not necessarily a surprise that the Astros sidelined Alvarez for the remainder of the regular season, considering his importance to the club’s hopes of making a splash in the postseason. After all, Houston secured its fourth straight AL West title with a win over the Mariners last night, and they are no longer able to catch either the Guardians or the eventual AL East champions to advance through the upcoming Wild Card to secure a bye series. That makes the final few games of the regular season largely meaningless for the club, giving them little incentive to rush Alvarez back and potentially aggravate his injury problems.

It’s unclear at this point whether Alvarez will be ready to return to action in time for the Wild Card Series, but even if he isn’t, it’s possible he’ll be available in later postseason rounds if the Astros continue to advance . His regular season ends with a career-high 147 games and a typically excellent slash line of .308/.392/.567 with a WRC+ of 167 and 35 home runs in 635 appearances.

The situation is similar with the outfielder Chas McCormickwho has been on the injured list for just over two weeks due to a fractured right hand. According to Kawahara, Espada told reporters that McCormick was “moving in the right direction” and “looked pretty good” despite not joining the club for the final games of the regular season in Cleveland. The 29-year-old has resumed baseball activities, including reps in the batting cage and drills in the outfield, and could still be an option for the Astros in next week’s Wild Card Series. McCormick had a disappointing regular season in which he hit just .211/.271/.306 (66 wRC+), but he was on a pretty hot streak in the days leading up to his injury, hitting 10 in his last 24 with a double, a home run and a walk in his final eight games of the regular season.