Ken Rosenthal Thinks That Scott Boras And Alex Bergman Are Looking For A Contract Around $350 Million And That Is Willlllllld

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Sounds like Scott Boras is up to his old tricks, using his words to try and get every single dollar that his client can get. This round it's Alex Bergman. The lifelong Astro turned down the qualifying offer from Houston and he'll remain a free agent as he searches for a lengthy deal. He's been an awesome player during his time at the hot corner but he hasn't been the same player since 2019, you can see it in the numbers. He finished 2nd in MVP voting in 2019 and just hasn't been able to replicate that season again. He hasn't hit over 26 home runs since 2019 and hasn't had a 5 bWAR season since 2019 but that won't stop Scott Boras from shooting for the moon with his new deal.

Ken Rosenthal wrote in The Athletic that he suspects Boras and Bregman are looking for a deal much higher than anyone else is projecting, something in the neighborhood of Manny Machado's 2023 extension at 11-years, $350 million. With all due respect your honor, that just can't something that happens. No GM in their right mind would agree to that deal, there's just no way. I get this is a Boras scare tactic, reach for the stars early on and then eventually come down, but that is a dangeroussssss game to play after the off-season his clients had last year. Ask Jordan Montgomery how that worked out! All the projections are 5/$150, 6/$180, something along those lines. Not anything CLOSE to $350 million. He'll be 31 days after Opening Day in 2025 and Manny was 30 when he signed his extension in February of 2023, but Machado was coming off a 2nd place finish in the MVP race. .298/32/102 for Manny and Bergman is coming off a season of .260/26/75. Bregman also missed a chunk of games this season and only played in 91 games in 2021 so there has been some injuries popping up. The defense is still there for Bregman, he took home his first Gold Glove this season. But in no way is he deserving of anything close to that extension or money. 

I'm sure the Astros will have a chance to match any deal that Bregman is presented, but if he can trick a team into giving him that I'm thinking that Houston will go ahead and tell him to take that. This is a move that Boras would pull back in the day and have it work but I don't know if that is how baseball is going to go in 2024. He's been losing his fastball for years and this could be another situation he overthinks. You've got to be crazy to think Bregman gets double digit years, just no way. Bregman's deal will be closer to Matt Chapman's deal than Manny's. Boras is fishing for a deal like Lindor and Tatis, that's a hell of a pipe dream. I respect Boras for playing his old trick and trying to trick another owner, but I don't think that happens this year with Bregman. Maybe a 4-5 year deal for the declining 30-year old, that $350 number is a willlllld ask.