The Boston Red Sox have secured a significant addition to their roster by finalizing a three-year contract worth $120 million with Alex Bregman, according to a source who wished to remain anonymous due to the agreement awaiting a successful physical examination.
Bregman will have the option to become a free agent after both the 2025 and 2026 seasons. As he transitions to the Red Sox, he is likely to move from his current position at third base to second base, since Rafael Devers, an All-Star slugger, occupies the hot corner.
New Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet expressed enthusiasm about Bregman’s arrival, stating, “I texted him right when it went through last night. I just couldn’t be more fired up to have him here. I think you look at the intangibles, and he has them all. I’ve heard a lot of good stuff about him being an absolute baseball rat, a guy that loves the game and works hard. Obviously, his pedigree speaks for itself, having won a couple of World Series, and his Gold Glove last year shows that he’s still at the top of his game.”
Bregman, who is 30 years old and a two-time All-Star and World Series champion, is coming off a less-than-stellar offensive year, hitting .260 with 26 home runs and 75 RBIs during the final season of a $100 million, five-year contract. However, he did secure his first Gold Glove award this year.
In terms of postseason performance, Bregman has a total of 19 postseason home runs, placing him sixth in Major League Baseball history. He was drafted second overall by the Houston Astros in the 2015 amateur draft and made his MLB debut the following year, where he ended the season with a .284 batting average, 19 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases.
His contributions in the postseason were highlighted during the Astros’ 2017 championship run, where he managed to hit four home runs and collect 10 RBIs. This championship brought controversy, however, following an investigation that indicted the team for using illegal methods to steal signs from their competitors. Bregman made a notable impact during the World Series, hitting a home run off Clayton Kershaw and producing crucial RBIs across the initial five games.
In 2018, Bregman had a standout season, finishing fifth in AL MVP voting, and in 2019, he placed second behind Mike Trout. Both years were exceptional for him offensively, with 2018 seeing him achieve a .286 average, 31 home runs, 103 RBIs, and a league-leading 51 doubles. The following year, he reached his personal bests with a .296 average, 41 home runs, 112 RBIs, and led the league with 119 walks.
In contrast, Bregman walked just 44 times this past year while recording a chase rate of 23.6%, the highest he has seen since 2017. Over his nine seasons in the majors, he holds a career batting average of .272, along with 191 home runs and 663 RBIs.
Since he declined a qualifying offer from the Astros worth $21.05 million, Houston will receive an additional pick after the fourth round of the upcoming amateur draft in July. Meanwhile, the Red Sox will surrender their second-highest draft pick as a consequence of acquiring Bregman, along with a $500,000 reduction from their international signing bonus pool allocation.
The Red Sox are coming off a mediocre 81-81 season, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive year. In addition to Bregman, they have also brought in pitchers Walker Buehler, Patrick Sandoval, Aroldis Chapman, and Justin Wilson. Buehler shared, “I’ve been relatively active in terms of talking to Bres,” referring to chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. “I love to play GM in my head, not that I have any real sway in it, but any time you join a new franchise, or where you have been, you want to feel like you’re a part of it and have some voice in it.”
