The Boston Red Sox signed Alex Bregman to a three-year, $120 million deal in free agency. The two-time All-Star had interest from the Detroit Tigers, but ultimately chose Boston.
Bregman had spent his entire career with the Houston Astros, but after nine seasons, the team decided to move on from him. Bregman’s free agency was one of the longest ones, and he eventually took a deal that gave him the option to opt out after this season. Bregman told ESPN’s Jeff Passan why he settled on the Red Sox.
“I felt like it was a place I could win,” Bregman said. “I felt like it was a place where I could prove the caliber a player that I believe I am. And I wasn’t scared to go prove it.”
Bregman’s best seasons came in 2018 and 2019, when he was an All-Star. He had a .291/.409/.561 in 313 games with 72 home runs. He led baseball in doubles in 2018 and led the league in walks in 2019. However, since then, he had slashed .261/.350/.445. He was still a great player, but he had not been at his best.
“In the final hours, Bregman asked Boston for its best offer — one the Red Sox had loaded up with annual salary and opt-outs after each of the first two seasons in hopes of proving sufficiently alluring,” wrote Passan.
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Bregman accepted the offer, and the team spent time fixing his swing. This year he is slashing .304/.381/.567 with 10 home runs. As he shows he can be an All-Star level player again, it is becoming more likely that he opts out in search of a more lucrative deal.
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