As several of the top free agents of the Jonathan Hernandez Jersey offseason linger on the market with spring training now under a month away, some have reportedly pivoted to consider short-term/opt-out laden contracts. and the Mets are reportedly discu sing a three-year arrangements with at least one opt-out. Both and have recently signaled willingne s to consider similar structures. As for third baseman , however, agent Scott Boras that his client remains focused on a longer-term pact and suggests that theres ample interest to make that happen. Bregmans a championship player, teams know it, Boras tells Nightengale. Its really a matter of his decision-making and theirs, about how you can close up that gap. Theres substantial interest (in long-term) deals. Nightengale adds that the Blue Jays, Red Sox and Tigers are among the teams still engaged with Bregman. The Cubs as well, per a recent report from Bruce Levine of 670 The Score, but that was more a matter of due diligence to see if Bregman is open to the precise type of short-term arrangement against which Boras is pushing back. One element of the slower-than-expected market for Bregman (and perhaps for Alonso, Flaherty and Santander) posited by Boras is a simple decrease in the number of teams willing to spend. For a second straight offseason, theres a group of clubs that is looking to reduce payroll or at least not add to the budget in a meaningful way largely due to concerns regarding the in-flux status of their television broadcast rights. While there are some clubs this offseason whove spent after a quiet winter in free agency last time around, there are indeed quite a few whose ownership groups have handcuffed the baseball operations staff. The Padres, Twins, Cardinals, Braves, Brewers and Marlins have yet to sign a free agent to a fully guaranteed big league deal. (Atlanta, Milwaukee and Miami have given a handful of split major league deals to players with minor league options remaining.) Each of those clubs other than Miami has been a notable buyer, to varying extents, in the free-agent market as recently as one or two years ago. Several others Mariners ($3.5MM), Rockies ($9.75MM), Rays ($8.5MM), Pirates ($8MM) have spent under $10MM in total. Thats one full third of the teams in MLB whose combined free agent expenditures total $29.75MM or just barely more than will earn annually with the Yankees. Not all of those clubs wouldve been players for Bregman, Alonso and others with a normal offseason of spending permi sion from ownership, of course. But their lack of activity has le sened the demand for mid-tier and lower-tier free agents, leaving a larger supply of options for the offseasons actual spenders to peruse. Bregman has received at least one long-term offer, as the incumbent Astros put forth a reported six-year, $156MM deal early in the offseason. That pact is surely no longer on the table, as Houston pivoted first to an effort to acquire a deal that Arenado and then to sign at first base. Having already acquired infielder from the Cubs as part of their return for star outfielder , Houston now has Paredes at the hot corner, at shortstop, at second base and Walker at first base. Theyre also just north of the luxury tax threshold, and theres been talk of potential trades to dip back under that number. Suffice it to say, $26MM per year for Bregman no longer feels plausible in Houston. Jose Barrero Jersey