Astros: Alex Bregman Extension a Rarity in Baseball
By Manny Gómez
On Tuesday, the Houston Astros and Alex Bregman capped off the busiest day of the Spring in MLB. Why Bregman’s extension is rare in baseball and perhaps even an up and coming trend.
It was only a week ago when Houston Astros 3B expressed his disappointment with the team’s contract renewal. At the time, it was reported that the ‘Stros were giving Alex Bregman a $41,500 raise for the 2019 season.
The disappointment didn’t last long, however, as Mark Berman of Houston’s Fox 26 reported that the raise Bergman was actually getting was way more significant than that.
MLB sources: The #Astros have reached an agreement on a six-year/$100 million contract with All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman that includes this season. Deal covers this year & the 3 years he'd be eligible for arbitration plus the first two years Alex can become a free agent.
— Mark Berman (@MarkBerman_) March 20, 2019
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Bregman currently has 1 year and 70 days (read 1.070 on Baseball Reference) under his belt, making him eligible for arbitration after next season. Lucky for the Astros and Bregman, however, this new extension covers this coming season, all three arbitration years, and his first two years Bregman would otherwise have been a free agent in.
According to Astros beat reporter for MLB Brian McTaggart, this deal ties 2nd highest contract in the team’s history. Jose Altuve‘s $151M extension last season remains the team’s largest contract ever.
This type of extension is extremely rare in baseball. Especially considering that Bregman would have made significantly less per season had he been allowed to become arbitration eligible. Whether or not he could’ve matched the AAV on this contract when he becomes an unrestricted free agent, is up for debate.
Extensions like these are typically reserved for guys like Mike Trout. In other words, an all-time great. In fact, as far as I can remember, and as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported, Trout was the last player to receive a contract extension of this nature in just his 2nd big league season.
Trout’s contract extension, however, was worth $144.5M over 6-years.
That’s not to say that Bregman isn’t deserving of the extension. Last season, Bregman emerged as one of the premier talents in baseball. His presence off the field is also exactly what the sport is lacking and could potentially provide MLB with the blueprint necessary to return to relevancy again.
Next. Trout's Contract Includes Early Vacations. dark
The question now becomes: what do other guys in similar positions command of their teams now? I’m talking about guys like Aaron Judge. Only time will tell.