DALLAS -- The news of All-Star outfielder Juan Soto¡¯s massive deal with the Mets sent shockwaves through the Winter Meetings late Sunday night, removing the biggest free-agent name off the board. All eyes now are turned to the next wave of free agents, which includes third baseman Alex Bregman.

¡°The big shoe dropped,¡± Astros general manager Dana Brown said. ¡°Now that he¡¯s off the board, I think things may pick up.¡±

• Will Astros answer Bregman question at Winter Meetings?

Brown said multiple times Monday night that he was ¡°feeling optimistic¡± about the Astros¡¯ chances of re-signing Bregman. The club has offered him six years at about $156 million, which would be the richest contract in club history. Brown said he has been in contact with agent Scott Boras in recent days, including via phone on Saturday and text message on Sunday.

¡°I don¡¯t quite know what [Alex is] thinking, but I¡¯m feeling optimistic,¡± Brown said. ¡°I think Bregman loves playing here and the success he¡¯s had here, I think he wants to stay.¡±

While Bregman remains the Astros¡¯ top priority, Brown said nothing is off the table, including trading outfielder Kyle Tucker and pitcher Framber Valdez. Both are set to enter free agency after the 2025 season and should make more than $15 million in arbitration, so trading one of them would free up some money. It would also leave a huge void on the roster.

¡°We have a lot of good players on our Major League team; we have a lot of good players in our Minor Leagues,¡± Brown said. ¡°If we think we can improve this club by trade, we will do it. It¡¯s got to make sense for us. Right now, we¡¯re projected to win the division. If we can try to improve the team, we will do it.¡±

Last year, Brown was adamant that he wasn¡¯t going to trade Bregman before the final year of his deal because finding a replacement would have been difficult. Finding another starting pitcher and an outfielder this year might be easier, though Valdez and Tucker are both among the best in baseball at their positions.

¡°We will not make any trade that doesn¡¯t make sense in terms of winning the division and getting back in the postseason and all that,¡± Brown said. ¡°We¡¯re not trying to break the team down, so the trade would have to make sense so we¡¯re not weakening our club.¡±

Astros manager Joe Espada is as optimistic as Brown about Bregman¡¯s chances of returning.

¡°We're doing everything in our power to get that done,¡± Espada said. ¡°I know what he represents, what he means to this organization. I think Dana and the staff and all of us are on the same page in making this our No. 1 priority. So we are trying really hard to bring Alex Bregman back.¡±

Brown would prefer not to trade from the Major League roster, which might be a necessity if the Astros are going to fill all their needs -- corner infield, starting pitching and relief pitching. Brown admitted there might not be a prospect available in the upper levels of the Minor Leagues who could step in and fill some gaps on Opening Day.

¡°But maybe sometime after that, with some more seasoning in the Minor Leagues,¡± Brown said. ¡°So that may allow you to do something. Ultimately, we¡¯re not trying to aggressively move players off the Major League roster. That wouldn¡¯t be our first plan, but we¡¯re not taking anything off the table. If there¡¯s a trade for a Major League player that makes sense, we will definitely do it.¡±

A mainstay on both the Astros¡¯ World Series championship teams, Bregman slashed .260/.315/.453 with 26 homers and 75 RBIs last season, including an .838 OPS from May 9 to the end of the season, and he won his first career Gold Glove Award. His leadership in the clubhouse and on the field -- as well as Jose Altuve¡¯s campaigning for him to return -- shows his impact.

The Astros went over the competitive balance tax last season for the first time, and they already have $115.9 million committed to seven players in 2025, according to Cot¡¯s Contracts. That doesn¡¯t include the $19.5 million they owe first baseman Jos¨¦ Abreu or the $11.5 million they owe reliever Rafael Montero, both of whom were designated for assignment last season. Then there¡¯s the arbitration raises to factor in.

Still, the Astros have enough financial flexibility to get a deal done for Bregman.

¡°Right now, Bregman¡¯s the priority in terms of the finances, but ultimately I think if something makes sense, we¡¯ll spend the money,¡± Brown said.