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Bye, bye Bregman? Astros angle to keep cornerstone third baseman

MLB: Seattle Mariners at Houston AstrosSep 24, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (2) celebrates his home run with teammates in the dugout against Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert (36) (not pictured) in the first inning at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman has the support of his manager and teammates, but the impending free agent doesn’t know if he will be back next season.

“I hope so,” Bregman said Wednesday after the Astros were eliminated by the Detroit Tigers in a two-game sweep in the American League wild-card series in Houston.

“We’ll see what happens. I’m going to let Scott (Boras, his agent) and the team handle that. Obviously, it’s free agency, and I’ve never really experienced that before.”

A career Astro since Houston selected him second overall in the 2015 MLB Draft out of LSU, tBregman earned $30.5 million in each of the past two seasons. He’s expected to be one of the top hitters on the free-agent market, with the Astros having a five-day window to exclusively negotiate with him and any of their other free-agent players following the end of the World Series.

Manager Joe Espada said Thursday at the team’s end-of-season news conference that he hopes Bregman makes a deal to remain an Astro.

“I think what makes this team really good is the character of the people that we have in that clubhouse, and he’s one of the best I’ve ever been around,” Espada said. “So I would love to have Alex Bregman playing third base for us next year.”

Bregman’s fellow All-Star infielder, second baseman Jose Altuve, said Wednesday that he would be “heartbroken” if Bregman left the organization.

“I don’t want to think about my last game with Breggy,” he said. “I’m pretty confident he’s going to be our third baseman next year. We have to. We’re not going to be the same organization without him. In my mind, there’s not a chance this is the last game.”

General manager Dana Brown, who will be part of the negotiations, said the organization will have conversations with Bregman about coming back, but on Thursday he didn’t provide a timeline.

“He’s been a really good player and he’s been outstanding in terms of helping this team play a lot of postseason games and he’s posted each and every year,” Brown said. “So that weighs heavily. We will have some discussions with Boras and also Bregman. We’ve had some small talk, but ultimately, we’ll have some discussions. We know what he means to this organization.”

Bregman, who turns 31 at the start of the 2025 season (March 30), started slowly in 2024. He finished with a .260 batting average, 26 home runs and 75 RBIs in 145 games while dealing with a right elbow ailment late in the season. His .315 on-base percentage was close to a career low. He had a .453 slugging percentage, and his .768 OPS was a career low.

He is a career .272 hitter with 191 homers and 663 RBIs in 1,111 regular-season games (2016-24). He was an All-Star in 2018 and 2019 and the Silver Slugger award winner for American League third basemen in 2019.

Bregman also has hit .238 in the postseason with 19 homers and 54 RBIs in 99 games from 2017-24 as Houston won the World Series in 2017 and 2022.

“Bregman is a special, special human and a special baseball player,” Brown said. “I hope I see him back here, that’s all I’ve got to say.”

After the Astros’ season ended on Wednesday, Bregman talked to his teammates in the clubhouse about how proud he was of them and their improvement over the past six months. He said it was “one of the funnest seasons I’ve had.”

Later, he told reporters that he hadn’t thought about free agency.

“I haven’t really had a chance to process this,” Bregman said. “I was planning on being here tomorrow.”

Later Wednesday, he posted on his X account: “Thank you Houston.”

–Field Level Media

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A's recall RHP Joey Estes from minors, option RHP Kade Morris

Apr 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Athletics starting pitcher Joey Estes (68) pitches in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn ImagesApr 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Athletics starting pitcher Joey Estes (68) pitches in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Athletics made a change of right-handers on their pitching staff, recalling Joey Estes from their Las Vegas affiliate and optioning Kade Morris to the Triple-A club.

Estes, 24, went 2-6 with a 5.95 ERA in 12 starts for Las Vegas this season. He struck out 39 and walked 38 in 59 innings.

Last year, Estes made two early-season starts and one midseason relief appearance for the Athletics, going 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA.

Across parts of three major league seasons, all with the A’s, Estes owns a 7-12 record and a 5.51 ERA. He has fanned 105 and walked 35 in 148 2/3 innings.

Morris, a 23-year-old rookie, was rocked by the Astros on Saturday in his major league debut. In four-plus innings, he allowed nine runs on nine hits, three of them homers. Morris struck out four and walked three, taking the loss as the Athletics fell 13-3 in Houston. He hasn’t pitched since.

The moves involving the Las Vegas affiliate come as the A’s are in the midst of playing a series in the minor league park in Sin City against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Athletics are building a stadium in Las Vegas and plan to move there from their temporary home of West Sacramento, Calif., in 2028

–Field Level Media

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Otto Lopez contributes early and often as Marlins defeat D-backs

Jun 9, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez (6) hits an RBI single against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the eighth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn ImagesJun 9, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez (6) hits an RBI single against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the eighth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Otto Lopez, whose .341 batting average leads the majors, went 3-for-5 with four runs and the go-ahead RBI in the eighth inning as the host Miami Marlins defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-6 on Tuesday night.

Joe Mack, Miami’s rookie catcher, went 4-for-4 with three runs as the Marlins improved to 6-1 over their past seven games.

The Diamondbacks, just 3-8 in their past 11 games, were led by Ketel Marte, who went 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Arizona was also helped by solo home runs from Corbin Carroll and Gabriel Moreno.

Brandyn Garcia (0-1), who entered the game with a 0.69 ERA, took the loss due to Miami’s four-run eighth-inning rally. Mack singled, advanced on a hit-by-pitch and scored on Lopez’s 105-mph single. The Marlins added Javier Sanoja’s two-run single and Esteury Ruiz’s RBI double.

All four runs were charged to Garcia, whose ERA ballooned to 3.29. Pete Fairbanks (3-3) struck out two in the ninth for Miami.

Arizona needed just six pitches to take the lead as Carroll hammered a one-out solo homer. Carroll got a high fastball and drilled it 400 feet to the upper deck in right for his 11th homer of the season.

Miami tied the score in the bottom of the first as Lopez doubled and scored on Xavier Edwards’ single over second baseman Marte’s glove.

The Marlins went up 2-1 in the second as Mack singled and scored from first on Connor Norby’s 392-foot double to left-center.

Lopez scored again in the third as he doubled, stole third and trotted home on Edwards’ deep sacrifice fly.

Arizona cut its deficit to 3-2 in the fourth on Moreno’s 417-foot blast to left-center.

Miami chased Arizona starter Zac Gallen in the sixth before taking a 6-2 lead on Liam Hicks’ RBI double and Kyle Stowers’ two-run double.

Arizona kept battling in the seventh as Tommy Troy walked, advanced on a passed ball and scored on Marte’s 103-mph double to left-center, making it 6-3.

The Diamondbacks tied the score 6-6 in the eighth. After Arizona loaded the bases with one out against reliever Tyler Zuber, Miami went to Calvin Faucher, who allowed all three inherited runners to score on Marte’s two-run single and Carroll’s RBI groundout.

–Field Level Media

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Randy Arozarena goes deep in 10th to lift Mariners past O's

Jun 9, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA;  Seattle Mariners catcher Mitch Garver (18) applies the tag for an out at home plate to Baltimore Orioles right fielder Tyler O'Neill (9) during the second inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn ImagesJun 9, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Mitch Garver (18) applies the tag for an out at home plate to Baltimore Orioles right fielder Tyler O’Neill (9) during the second inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images

Randy Arozarena hit the second pitch of the 10th inning for a two-run home run and the Seattle Mariners held on to defeat the host Baltimore Orioles 6-5 on Tuesday night.

It was Arozarena’s third hit of the game and seventh homer of the season. Seattle’s Mitch Garver hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning and Logan Gilbert pitched six strong innings.

The Orioles scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to extend the game.

The Mariners won for the second night in a row to assure no worse than a split in the four-game series. The Orioles have lost four straight.

Seattle’s Victor Robles, who had two singles, joined Arozarena as the game’s only players with more than one hit. Arozarena also drove in a run in the seventh with a two-out single.

Gilbert recorded outs on 14 consecutive Baltimore batters to cap his outing, which concluded after 105 pitches. He gave up one run on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

Mariners reliever Jose Ferrer threw 42 pitches in the ninth as he blew the save, but he wriggled out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation with the winning run on third. Gunnar Henderson and Pete Alonso did not deliver, so the game went into extras and Ferrer (1-1) ended up with the win. Rookie Nick Davila notched his first career save.

Baltimore’s Coby Mayo homered with one out in the bottom of the ninth on a Ferrer full-count pitch. Jeremiah Jackson followed with a pinch-hit single and Tyler O’Neill laced a double after fouling off three two-strike pitches. Samuel Basallo hit into a fielder’s choice to tie the score, then Taylor Ward walked to load the bases.

Baltimore pulled within 6-5 in the 10th on Leody Taveras’ RBI single, but the Orioles didn’t score again despite having runners at the corners with no outs.

Orioles starter Trevor Rogers went 5 2/3 innings. He was charged with three runs on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Rico Garcia (3-1) was charged with the loss.

Garver had only seven RBIs this season coming into the game. His third home run of the season, coming with two outs in the fourth, boosted that total into double figures. Arozarena and Rob Refsnyder reached on singles to set up Garver.

Baltimore began the scoring in the first inning when Ward led off with a single and scored on Taveras’ sacrifice fly with the bases loaded.

The Orioles threatened in the second with O’Neill’s one-out walk followed by Sam Huff’s ground-rule double. But O’Neill was out at the plate on Ward’s grounder before Henderson struck out.

The Orioles didn’t have another base runner until Mayo reached on an error to begin the bottom of the seventh. That was followed by Jackson Holliday’s infield single and O’Neill’s double-play grounder. Mayo scored on Alex Hoppe’s two-out wild pitch to make it 4-2.

–Field Level Media

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