A surprising trade of veteran reliever Ryan Pressly might just shake up baseball’s free agent market in ways nobody expected.
The Chicago Cubs just landed Pressly from the Houston Astros, with Houston throwing in $5.5 million to help cover his $14 million salary next year. But here’s where it gets interesting – that freed-up money could help bring Alex Bregman back to Houston.
Bregman, who’s been with the Astros his whole career, is still looking for a new home. The Tigers, Red Sox, and Blue Jays all want him, but Houston might not be out of the picture after all.
Just this weekend, Astros GM Dana Brown dropped a hint about Bregman: “The door’s cracked open. He’s such a good player and has done so many wonderful things here.”
But wait – doesn’t Houston already have a full infield?
That’s where Jose Altuve comes in. The Astros legend says he’d move to left field just to keep Bregman around. That would let Isaac Paredes play second base and put Bregman back at his familiar spot at third.
If Bregman does head back to Houston, it could trigger a domino effect involving another star third baseman – Nolan Arenado.
The Cardinals are rebuilding, and Arenado’s open to a trade. He blocked a move to Houston earlier this winter, but he’d apparently say yes to Boston. The Red Sox might prefer Arenado’s shorter contract (through 2027) over the longer deal Bregman will command.
Money wouldn’t be a huge issue. The Rockies are still paying $10 million of Arenado’s contract, and the Cardinals would chip in another $15-20 million.
For Boston, Arenado makes sense. His pull-heavy hitting style would work great with Fenway’s Green Monster, and he’s still amazing with the glove.
There’s just one catch – current Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers would need to switch positions. Manager Alex Cora’s being careful about it: “If we have to have conversations about positions, we’ll have those conversations… but right now, Raffy Devers is our third baseman.”
All this could even affect Pete Alonso’s future. The Mets slugger might find his way back to New York if other teams stop chasing third basemen and focus elsewhere.
It’s like a game of baseball Jenga – pull out one piece (in this case, a veteran reliever), and the whole structure might shift in unexpected ways.
