Astros' increased offer to Alex Bregman won't help sign him?

Of MLBTRs top 20 free agents, Alex Bregman is the only one who remains unsigned.

The star third baseman is reportedly sitting on multiple six-year offers but hasnt found a price to his liking.

One of those is from the incumbent Astros.

Houston has reportedly had a standing six-year, $156M offer for much of the winter.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post writes that the Astros have bumped that number higher, though specifics on the new proposal arent clear.

In any case, it doesnt seem that it was a dramatic jump.

Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 reports that Houstons increased offer is still unlikely to result in a deal.

The Tigers are still pursuing Bregman after agreeing to a two-year deal with Jack Flaherty over the weekend.

The Blue Jays have an opening at third base.

The Red Sox have shown interest, though Alex Speier of the Boston Globe has suggested they were reluctant to go beyond four years.

The Sox have stayed in contact with the Cardinals regarding Nolan Arenado as well.

MLB.coms John Denton writes that the Red Sox would prefer to sign Bregman over an Arenado trade, but thats difficult to envision unless they push the length beyond their comfort zone.

While players like Flaherty and Pete Alonso have moved to short-term deals to conclude extended free agent stays, Bregman still seems committed to a longer contract.

Agent Scott Boras said as much last month.

Heyman writes that Bregman expects to sign for at least six years, though he has received offers on shorter terms.

The Astros dipped below the luxury-tax threshold when they traded Ryan Pressly to the Cubs, offloading $8.5M of his $14M salary.

RosterResource estimates their tax number around $237M, about $4M below the base threshold.

Theyd need to go well beyond the tax line to sign Bregman but otherwise prefer to stay under the $241M marker.

If they dont re-sign Bregman, theyll have Isaac Paredes at third base.

Thatd likely leave Jose Altuve as the primary second baseman with a left field mix that could occasionally feature Altuve alongside Mauricio Dubon, Ben Gamel and Zach Dezenzo.

This article first appeared on MLB Trade Rumors and was syndicated with permission..

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