February is almost upon us, and spring training camps will soon be opening across Arizona and Florida. However, 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.
Alex Bregman has strong offer on table (and it’s not from the Astros)
An Alex Bregman return to the Houston Astros, with whom he’s spent his entire professional career to date, is back within the range of possibilities for the free-agent infielder. That’s especially the case now that Jose Altuve is reportedly willing to relocate to the outfield to make room for Bregman in a Houston infield that now includes Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker. However, it’s not to be assumed that Bregman is definitely headed back to Houston.
Speaking of which, here’s this report from Jon Heyman:
“The Astros are apparently still willing to do the $156M, six-year deal they reportedly offered Alex Bregman in November, but he’s still hoping not to be cut from his $28.5M 2024 salary.
“Bregman also has a lucrative six-year offer (with an opt-out after the first year) from a team that may not be high on his list.”
Given the slow market for Bregman, a six-year offer with an opt-out after year one would certainly qualify as competitive, depending upon the dollars involved. Unnamed, of course, is which team has made that offer. The Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, and Detroit Tigers are known to have varying levels of interest in Bregman, and the Toronto Blue Jays have been linked to him earlier in the offseason.
Kendall Graveman market picking up
Veteran right-handed reliever Kendall Graveman missed the entire 2024 season with a shoulder injury, but he’s looking to return in 2025. On that front, Jesse Rogers reports that Graveman is drumming up significant interest in the free-agent market right now.
The 34-year-old Graveman has been effective for several years since moving to a full-time bullpen role during the 2020 season. For his career, Graveman in the bullpen has a 2.81 ERA across exactly 200 appearances. Over those 202 innings, he has 202 strikeouts.
Mets add Madrigal
The Mets have signed veteran infielder Nick Madrigal to a split one-year contract, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Madrigal, 28 in March, was non-tendered by the Cubs after a rough 2024. For his career, he’s hit .274/.323/.344 (86 OPS+) while seeing action at both second and third base. He figures to serve as a bench or depth piece for the Mets.
