Alex Bregman ended his ocean of speculation and will sign a free agent contract with the Boston Red Sox, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, after he failed to reach an extension agreement with the Houston Astros and his price proved too high for other franchises such as the New York Yankees, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago Cubs as had been speculated for weeks
The report states that Bregman’s deal with Boston was finalized on Wednesday night and will be for three years and $120 million with the Red Sox, with an annual salary of $40 million, an increase of $10 million more than any other offer the player received and also includes two buyout options.
With the signing of Bregman, the most important name remaining on the MLB free agency market is gone and he joins a team that was in dire need of an important bat to accompany a revamped pitching staff, just in time to join MLB spring training
For days, Red Sox manager Alex Cora had been pushing for the signing of Bregman, as they had not really achieved much in the market and only guaranteed $52.3 million in free agents this winter, which caused annoyance among their fans.
Alex Bregman’s 2025 free agency journey
Bregman played nine seasons with the Astros and at the end of his current deal asked for an extension of at least six years. He received significant offers from the Tigers, Blue Jays and Cubs, along with the Red Sox and Astros.
However, there are important doubts about what he has left in the tank, as at the start of 2024 he had a significant slump and began to pick up pace until the month of June, carrying the team on his shoulders until they finally overcame the Seattle Mariners to be crowned for the seventh time in the American League West in eight years.
Bregman will turn 31 on March 30 and hit .260 in 2024 with 26 home runs and 75 RBIs in 145 games. However, the Astros lost in the wild-card round to the Tigers
Bregman’s contract with the Astros was for five years and $100 million, during which time he averaged .275/.376/.488 with 157 home runs and 554 RBIs from 2017 to 2023. While lifetime, his batting average is .272 with 191 home runs and 663 RBIs, but he turned down a one-year, $21.05 million qualifying offer from the Astros on Nov. 19.
Bregman had to undergo surgery after the season to remove a bone spur from his right elbow, so his agent, Scott Boras, reported that his client was willing to move to second base if necessary, even though he has only played at third base since 2020
This could be a possibility in Boston, as the position belongs to one of its figures, Rafael Devers, at third base.
Read the full article here
