The Astros locked up one franchise icon yesterday, perhaps for the remainder of his career, when signing second baseman Jose Altuve to a five-year, $125MM deal that runs through his age-39 campaign.
While Crane candidly stated that the organization will "definitely" make a long-term offer to Bregman before he reaches the market, he also acknowledged that Bregman's age makes him "a little different circumstance."
That gap in age sets vastly different market expectations - as does the difference in position. In recent offseasons, the market hasn't rewarded pure second basemen at nearly the same levels as third basemen. And with Bregman hitting the market prior to his age-31 season, a deal ranging from seven to nine years in length seems plausible in a way that simply wouldn't have been the case for Altuve entering his age-34 season.
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