Shocking Move: Astros’ Two-Time All-Star Eyeing $176M Exit to Tigers
The dynasty may be slipping, but it’s tough to say how the Houston Astros should conduct their business this winter.
On one hand, the Astros still have a very winnable division in 2025, and there’s incentive to keep the band together another year. On the other, the expensive contracts have already started to pile up, and even more extensions loom for superstars like Kyle Tucker and Framber Valdez.
David Brown of Deadspin predicted recently that the Astros would choose the latter. Brown forecasted a seven-year, $176 million deal for Bregman to join the Detroit Tigers, who ousted the Astros from the playoffs in early October.
Not only would Bregman be joining an exciting young team in Detroit, but he’d be reuniting with an old friend. A.J. Hinch, the Tigers’ manager, was the skipper for Bregman and the Astros from 2015 until he was suspended for his role in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal in early 2020.
The Tigers could be a force to be reckoned with in the American League, and the Astros wouldn’t necessarily love to see Bregman go there. But if they choose to prioritize Tucker, whose extension could come out closer to $300 million, they simply may have no choice.
Bregman is already a feisty player with a sizable chip on his shoulder. If his longtime team decides not to pay him market value, he could haunt them whenever he plays against them for years to come.
