"Hover around $200,000,000" - MLB insider forecasts Alex Bregman’s contract, naming Phillies and Tigers as logical fits

It's difficult to see past Juan Soto this offseason, but another premium position player available on the free agent market is third baseman Alex Bregman. The 30-year-old has played all his nine major league seasons with the Houston Astros, who have offered him close to a $156 million deal.

However, as per Ken Rosenthal, Bregman is after a Manny Machado-esque deal or at least a contract north of $200 million this offseason.

Another two teams entering the sweepstakes are the Philadelphia Phillies and the Detroit Tigers, according to MLB insider Robert Murray on The Baseball Insiders podcast.

"Two teams that I think make plenty of sense for Bregman are the Philadelphia Phillies and the Detroit Tigers," Murray said (23:15 onwards).

"For the Phillies, this would depend on whether they trade Alec Bohm, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that ends up happening. As for the Tigers, they have a need in the infield, a clear AJ Hinch connection from their time together in Houston, and the money to spend.

Murray feels while there's a gap between the expected and the desired value between the Astros and Bregman, the team has been adamant about getting him back.

"I think those two teams will prove to be among the most serious threats to pry Bregman away from Houston," Murray added.

"That said, the Astros being so confident in their answers about Bregman and stating that he’s by far their top priority makes me think they could be in the driver’s seat. But free agency is an unpredictable game — you never know until the last second. My guess is his contract will hover around $200 million."

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Astros must fear for Alex Bregman if Yankees can't land Juan Soto

Of course, the most prized possession this offseason is Juan Soto, who's fresh off a career season and a trip to the World Series with the New York Yankees.

Soto's one-year stint saw the Yankees break their 15-year drought for AL pennan,t and the team expects to sign him back. However, there are some prominent contenders who might not let that happen.

If that turns out to be the case, the Yankees will roll their eyes to the next best free agent, which is Alex Bregman. USA Today's Bob Nightengale said:

"If the New York Yankees don’t re-sign Juan Soto, one back-up plan floating around is signing free-agent first baseman Christian Walker, sign either Willy Adames or Alex Bregman to play third, shift Jazz Chisholm to second base, trade for Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger, and then use the extra money to sign Burnes, Fried or Snell."

It would be in the best interest of the Astros to sign Alex Bregman before other big market teams who lose out on Soto join the sweepstakes.