In less than a month, spring training camps will open across Arizona and Florida. There are still plenty of free agents waiting to sign and trade candidates waiting to move, and as such there will be no shortage of activity between now and the start of camp. Speaking of all that, here now are Friday’s hot stove rumors.
Bregman has received multiple offers of at least five years
Veteran infielder and Houston Astros lifer Alex Bregman remains available on the free-agent market. For Bregman that market has obviously been slow to develop, but perhaps things are changing as we head toward February. The incumbent Astros are known to still have interest in bringing Bregman back even though their infield situation is crowded after the trade for Isaac Paredes and the signing of Christian Walker. Houston previously tried to extend Bregman earlier in the offseason with a six-year, $156 million offer, which, according to Ari Alexander, is still available to Bregman. Alexander also adds this:
“The Astros are one of at least three teams to have offered Bregman a deal of five years or longer this offseason, four league sources tell KPRC 2 Sports.”
Those other teams are not named, but the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, and Toronto Blue Jays have at various points been linked to Bregman this offseason. It’s also possible an as-yet-unnamed team is in that mix.
Bregman, 30, is coming off a 2024 season in Houston in which he slashed .260/.315/.453 (118 OPS+) with 26 home runs and 30 doubles in 145 games. He also won his first Gold Glove. For his career, Bregman has an OPS+ of 132 and a WAR of 39.6 across parts of nine MLB seasons, all with the Astros. He’s a two-time All-Star selection, and twice he’s also finished in the top 10 of the American League MVP vote.
The Los Angeles Angels have signed infielder J.D. Davis to a minor-league contract with an invitation to major-league spring training, Robert Murray reports. Davis, 31, is coming off a 2024 season for the A’s and Yankees in which he slashed .218/.293/.338 with four home runs in a combined 46 games. For his career, Davis owns an OPS+ of 111 across parts of eight MLB seasons. He can play first base and some third base. As well, Davis in the past has spent time in left field.
sentence: The dog chased the cat around the yard.
Rewritten: The cat was chased around the yard by the dog.