The Houston Astros off-season has been a roller coaster ride of sorts. But not everyone is loving the ride so far. Alex Bregman, one of their key players in the franchise, is still a big name on the free-agent market. His return to Houston seems wonky given the Astros signed Christian Walker and traded for Isaac Paredes. Not to mention his ask is huge – $200 million! But still, the door to Astros seems not to be barred close for Alex Bregman.

During the Astros annual FanFest, GM Dana Brown, Joe Espada, and Bregman’s teammate for a long time, Jose Altuve, all expressed their wish to bring Bregman back to Houston. “I think we’ve had some conversations, and I can leave it there. As I mentioned, the interesting thing is that he’s still available. It’s not as if we’re not talking about it. We’ve had some conversations,” said Dana Brown. But not everyone is buying what Houston is selling, especially MLB Radio host Jeff Joyce. He isn’t at all thrilled with the Astros off-season moves this season.

Jeff Joyce questions if the Bregman chase is risky right now

MLB Radio host Jeff Joyce feels the Alex Bregman chase is more like wishful thinking than a solid plan. He questioned the Houston Astros plan, “Are you making a mistake paying Bregman the money now, in his thirties? Are you just chasing it at this point?” He also pinpointed the sting of Kyle Tucker’s departure. He mentioned that with Houston letting their star player go, they aren’t really in any better position right now.

“They’re clearly not the team they were before,” said Joyce. He mentioned that the lineup of Houston Astros more or less looks the same as last year. They have just Christian Walker in and Kyle Tucker out. It seems for Joyce this swap isn’t helping the Astros much. However, given that the team lost Tucker, it makes even more sense that they want to get the comfort spot by keeping Bregman.

Joe Espada said the door is still open for Bregman. “Obviously, there are hurdles, but I’m still optimistic,” Espada said. Even Jose Altuve, who was Bregman’s teammate for nine seasons, mentioned that as a teammate, he wants Bregman back. For him, he is a big part of the team, and he can make the team better if he stays. He even is open to changing his position to have Alex Bregman in the lineup. Right now, it can either be a calculated risk or an emotional gamble for them chasing Alex Bregman. The stakes are high, and the clock surely is ticking!

Tigers’ Tarik Skubal weighs in on Alex Bregman sweepstakes

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal is for sure paying attention to the off-season buzz. He knows that the Tigers are keen on Alex Bregman, and he has also put in his two cents about this potential fit. At the 100th annual Baseball Writers Association of America awards dinner, he didn’t hold back. “He would look really good with the Tigers,” said Skubal when asked about the Tigers’ chase of Alex Bregman.

Now Skubal isn’t giving a bird’s-eye perspective or through a fan sentiment. Both he and Alex Bregman are represented by the same agent, Scott Boras. Also, Bregman himself has ties with A.J. Hinch and catcher Chris Chinea as well. So it’s not hard to understand how Skubal seems optimistic about a deal happening.

Even ESPN writer Bradford Doolittle thinks that Detroit Tigers is a great spot for Bregman. “He could start at any of the infield spots, and Detroit could move players around (Gleyber) Torres to make a number of configurations work….Bregman would be the perfect veteran presence for a young team at the outset of a new window of winning. His history with manager A.J. Hinch gives him a comfort zone,” mentioned Doolittle.

Well, it looks like Alex Bregman could play a key role even in the Detroit lineup. However, right now spring training is looming high, so a decision needs to be reached. And soon! Where do you think the Bregman saga will end up? Let us know.