Yankees Named Landing Spot for Former Astros Villain

As fate would have it, the New York Yankees could fill their glaring need at third base next offseason by resolving their differences with an old foe.

Ranking Alex Bregman of the Boston Red Sox as the No. 2 free agent in the upcoming class, former MLB general manager and current reporter for The Athletic, Jim Bowden, mentioned the Yankees amongst the top potential suitors for the former Houston Astros villain.

"Bregman, who is making $40 million this year and signed for two more years at that rate, will likely opt out of his deal," Bowden wrote. "His free-agent market should be even more robust than last offseason with the Red Sox joined by the Yankees, Tigers, Astros, Phillies and even the Dodgers; he would be an upgrade for all of them at the hot corner."

The Bronx Bombers largely remained on the periphery of the Bregman sweepstakes this past offseason, though they were relentlessly connected to him. The 31-year-old instead signed a three-year, $120 million contract with New York's fiercest rivals in the Red Sox that includes player options for both the 2026 and 2027 campaigns

The Yankees' big move after Juan Soto joined the New York Mets came in the form of an eight-year, $218 million agreement with left-handed starting pitcher Max Fried, thus leaving a shortage of funds with which another splash could be made.

Through 50 games and 223 plate appearances this season, Bregman has performed at an All-Star level with a .297/.381/.554 slash line, 11 home runs and 35 RBIs.

If he were to opt out of his deal once the current season concludes, however, than the Yankees would be a presumptive favorite to land the two-time All-Star, at least on paper.

There are significant hurdles to overcome before such a pairing could come together though, most of which stem back to Bregman's time in Houston.

The Astros, of course, were embroiled in a sign-stealing scandal in the late 2010's that rocked the baseball world and more or less tainted the team's legacy. The Yankees were uniquely impacted by the situation, as they were eliminated by them in the ALCS during both the 2017 and 2019 playoffs.

Houston won its first World Series in franchise history over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first of those two years before falling in seven games to the Washington Nationals in the latter.

As expected, Yankees fans were livid once Houston's wrongdoings were outed. When the club travelled to the Bronx in 2021 for the first time since the news broke, the boos rained down on the likes of Bregman, Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa were particularly spirited.

That same disdain still exists to this day, which in turn may make Bregman an unattractive option for New York. He remains one of the league's top players at the hot corner, and the idea of plucking him from the Red Sox is certainly alluring, but Yankees fans may not welcome him with open arms if he were to sign with the club next offseason.

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