There were whispers at this week’s Winter Meetings that some Yankees executives were relieved that superstar outfielder Juan Soto passed on their pot of gold to take a little more from the Mets.

Without Soto on the payroll for $47.5 million for the next 16 seasons, the Yankees have money in the budget to spend big on improve a roster that has a lot of openings due to free agent departures.

Five days after signed with the Mets for $365 million over 15 seasons, the Yankees already have strengthened their deep rotation by signing free agent left-hander Max Fried for $218 million and improved their bullpen in a big way on Friday by acquiring two-time All-Star reliever Devin Williams from the Brewers for left-hander Nestor Cortes and second-base prospect Caleb Durbin.

The next move might be a bigger doozy:

The Yankees are hot for free agent third baseman Alex Bregman after making a play for All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker, who was traded on Friday from the Astros to the Cubs.

Yes, the Yankees are willing to bring in Bregman, who was part of the sign-stealing Astros’ team that did a lot of cheating in 2017 when he beat the Bombers in the ALCS and Dodgers in the World Series.

“Hearing more buzz connecting Yankees to Alex Bregman,” MLB.com Yankees beat writer Bryan Hoch tweeted on X this week. “Interest is real.”

The Astros had been prioritizing re-signing Bregman and recently made a $156-million offer for six seasons, but the two-time All-Star and 2024 Gold Glove winner may be off their radar with Houston’s return from the Cubs for Tucker including third baseman Isaac Paredes and touted third base prospect Cam Smith, who was picked 14th overall in the 2024 draft.

With Bregman and Smith in the fold for the Astros, they may be out on Bregman, who reportedly is seeking a deal worth at least $200 million.

“I do think the Tucker trade is linked to Bregman,” MLB Network insider Jon Morosi said Friday on Hot Stove. “That definitely links up with the Bregman free agent market.”

Morosi believes the Red Sox could be the Yankees’ biggest competition for Bregman. He has a good relationship with Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who was the bench coach in Houston in 2017. If Bregman signs with Boston, he’d move to second base.

“With Bregman, that positional versatility could be very applicable to the Boston Red Sox and their interest in Alex Bregman,” Morosi said.

The Tigers are a sleeper team that could make a run at Bregman, according to Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report.

“They have plenty of room in the budget to make a big splash, and they could be one big bat and one semi-big arm away from going from the plucky postseason underdog to the clear favorite in the AL Central,” Miller wrote.

Bregman, 30, hit .260 with 26 homers, 72 RBI and a.768 OPS in 2024. The second-overall pick of the 2015 draft out of LSU is a career .272 hitter with 191 homers in nine seasons with the Astros (2016-2024). He was an All-Star in 2018 and 2019, and won a Gold Glove this year.

Tucker, who is a year away from free agency, was traded to the Cubs after the Astros passed on offers from the Yankees and Phillies, among others.

The Astros wanted the Yankees’ package to start with pitcher Luis Gil, who won the AL Rookie of the Year award this year, but the right-hander wasn’t made available. The Phillies offered two regulars for Tucker, third baseman Alec Bohm and outfielder Nick Castellanos.

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Randy Miller may be reached at [email protected].