Ryan Pressly deal leaves Dana Brown with no excuse not to bring back Alex Bregman

The Houston Astros made it very clear as soon as their offseason began that priority No. 1 would be trying to bring back free agent third baseman Alex Bregman. There was just one problem with that plan, though: Owner Jim Crane had reservations about pushing deeper into the luxury tax, and with Scott Boras whispering sweet nothings into Bregman's ear, it seemed like the team simply wouldn't have the money in the budget to re-sign the two-time All-Star — not even with a reported six-year, $156 million offer.

Talks between the two sides eventually broke down, and it seemed like Bregman was bound to continue his career elsewhere. But as days turned into weeks and Bregman remained on the market, it began to seem more and more like no team was able or willing to beat Houston's offer. Running out of time and options, Bregman and Boras turned back to Houston this week, revisiting the possibility of a deal. And with the Astros' latest move, that deal seems more likely than ever.

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Ryan Pressly trade removes last obstacle from Astros-Alex Bregman reunion

If Houston was going to afford Bregman, it needed to shed some payroll. And the easiest and most painless way to do that was obvious: Trade setup man Ryan Pressly, set to make $14 million in 2025 despite diminishing returns over the past two seasons. The Astros thought they had a deal in place with the Chicago Cubs earlier this week, but Pressly's no-trade clause scuttled things ... until Sunday afternoon, when the righty waived said clause and the deal went through.

The Astros aren't going to just pick up the money that had been allocated to Pressly and tack it onto their offer for Bregman. But it does give them a little extra wiggle room, and if that original $156 million contract was still on the table, they can now bump up the AAV from $26 million to maybe $30 million+. That's a significant difference, one that will allow Bregman to compare himself comparably to other third basemen like Manny Machado, Rafael Devers and Nolan Arenado.

His deal won't be for as many years, but the AAV will be something very similar, and at this point, in this market, that should be good enough. Who knows with Boras, who loves nothing more than digging his heels in. But the Astros need Bregman if they're going to stay competitive in the American League in 2025, and Bregman doesn't seem to have another team willing to go above and beyond to that extent. And now the table is set for a reunion that makes sense for both sides.