Astros Still Pursuing Reunion With Red Sox Free-Agent Target: 'Door's Still Open'

The Boston Red Sox are still in search of a right-handed slugger, and a Houston Astros star has been one of their most frequently-discussed targets all winter long.
For a solid month, now, the Astros themselves have been widely considered to be out of the running. But that's not necessarily the case, according to their manager.
Free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman, a two-time All-Star with the Astros, was unable to broker a new agreement with his longtime team early in the winter. The Astros then pivoted, trading for third baseman Isaac Paredes from the Chicago Cubs and signing Christian Walker to a three-year deal to play first base.
Manager Joe Espada said Monday, however, that filling Bregman's position didn't necessarily mean that the Astros were out on Bregman, and that the team and player were still keeping in contact.
“Well, he has not signed with anyone, right? Our arms are still open. The door’s still open,” Espada told FOX 26 Houston’s Nate Griffin. “There’s always a chance, right? But right now, we are still in conversations with not only him, but with other free-agent players, so we’ll see."
Bregman was reported to be seeking $200 million earlier this winter, but the Astros' best offer was six years, $156 million, per MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. Though it's unlikely the Astros would still offer the same deal with Paredes and Walker in the fold, there's no evidence that any other team has an offer of that size on the table, either.
If the money is equal between the Red Sox and Astros, there's plenty of reason to believe Bregman could go back to Houston. And to be frank, Boston could really use him, especially because he's crushed the ball at Fenway Park in his career (1.245 OPS).
Though it has seemed for a while that the Red Sox are hoping to wait out Bregman's market, that strategy could prove dangerous if Houston is doing the same thing. And Espada's comments seem to hint at that possibility at the very least.
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