That has been the party line from general manager Dana Brown ever since they weren't able to work out a deal before this past season began, but with extension conversations officially underway, the executive reveals they feel good about where they are at in the process.

For Astros fans, that is music to their ears.

Despite winning the World Series in 2022, they had to endure seeing two of their franchise staples walk out the door in free agency when George Springer and Carlos Correa departed.

Houston is hoping that doesn't happen with Bregman, someone who has emerged into one of the best players in this organization's history and is still in his prime years ready to help this club chase their third championship.

But as his free agency decision looms, his agent also revealed he underwent a surgical procedure.

It's interesting Scott Boras would reveal that bit of information right now.

The super agent is known for getting the most amount of money for his clients, and willingly sharing that Bregman had surgery to remove a bone chip from his elbow is certainly an interesting strategy when trying to achieve that goal, but he might have also figured it would have gotten out eventually so he didn't want to "hide" anything for a lack of a better term.

There's also no indication this is anything serious or will hinder what Bregman can do throughout the rest of his career, so the next thing to take from what Boras said is that the star third baseman will be ready for Spring Training.

Which camp will he be in, though?

The Astros are certainly hoping it's there's, but that remains to be seen as both sides continue to negotiate a contract.