Alex Bregman will be opting out of his contract with the Red Sox, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. He has two years and $80MM remaining on his deal, although some of that money is deferred.
Bregman, 31, is coming off a strong season in which he batted .273/.360/.462 with a 125 wRC+ in 114 games for Boston. After posting an uncharacteristically low 6.7% walk rate in 2024, he rebounded to 10.3% in 2025, while his strikeout rate increased only modestly to a still-excellent 14.1%. His batted ball metrics back up his performance, with his 90.1 mph average exit velocity and 44.4% hard-hit rate both representing career highs. Despite missing seven weeks in the first half of the season with a right quad injury, Bregman was worth 3.5 fWAR this year, ranking seventh among major league third basemen with a minimum of 400 plate appearances.
Defensively, Bregman graded out as above average, if a step down from his 2024 season. In 972 1/3 innings at third base, he was worth one Defensive Run Saved and three Outs Above Average in 2025, with Statcast valuing his range in the 83rd percentile. For comparison, he was worth 6 DRS and 8 OAA with the Astros last year. Defensive metrics are notoriously tricky, of course, but it appears Bregman remains a defensive asset as he continues into his 30s.
By opting out, Bregman is forgoing two years at a $40MM AAV. That figure is somewhat misleading, though, as $60MM of the $120MM total is deferred through 2035-46, per Ronald Blum of the Associated Press, which lowers the contract’s AAV significantly. In any case, Bregman will undoubtedly look to top that guarantee in his second straight trip to the free agent market. Prior to this year’s quad injury, he had three consecutive seasons of good health from 2022-24 and is a reasonable bet to stay healthy moving forward.
Under the terms of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between the owners and the MLB Players Association, Bregman is ineligible to receive a qualifying offer after receiving one from the Astros last offseason. A prospective team will not need to forfeit draft pick compensation to sign Bregman this time around. A look at our 2025-26 MLB Free Agents list shows Bregman as the clear headliner at third base, with Eugenio Suarez representing the next-best option. Suarez, 34, hit 49 home runs this season and matched Bregman’s 125 wRC+, but he’s three years older and an inferior defender.
Given the state of the market, his ineligibility for another qualifying offer, and his strong platform season, Bregman will likely be seeking a long-term contract this offseason. He reportedly sought a $200MM contract early last winter. He declined an early six-year, $156MM offer from the Astros and eventually turned down a six-year, $171.5MM proposal from Detroit late in the offseason. Heyman writes today that Bregman had countered with an offer in the $180MM range before taking the shorter deal with Boston at a much higher annual rate.
A reunion with the Red Sox is certainly possible, with the team having traded Rafael Devers to the Giants this past June. The team did not exceed the luxury tax threshold in 2024, although they appear on track to exceed this year’s $241MM threshold by several million, according to RosterResource. The team will see Steven Matz’s $12.5MM salary come off the books this offseason. They might also decline their end of Lucas Giolito’s $19MM mutual option depending on the severity of his recent elbow issue. Liam Hendriks underwent ulnar nerve transposition surgery in September and will likely see his $12MM mutual option declined.
If the team runs a similar payroll in 2026 following this year’s postseason appearance, the club might make a run at re-signing Bregman. The Tigers and Cubs were both in on Bregman last winter and might be have some interest in him as well. The Cubs were reportedly only interested in Bregman on a short-term deal, though, and their incumbent third baseman, Matt Shaw, showed promise in his debut this year. In contrast, Tigers third basemen ranked 26th in the majors this year with a 76 wRC+ and would benefit substantially from a player of Bregman’s caliber. If Bregman departs Boston, the Red Sox could hand the reins to Marcelo Mayer or make a play for Suarez in free agency.
no surprise
Exactly, the bigger question is if Bregman and the Sox can work out an extension before he hits the open market. My gut says they don’t. That being said, Breslow has surprised me multiple times with his transactions the past year – trading Devers, Roman Anthony extension, signing Bregman in the first place
Two years and $80 million is pretty generous, he seems determined to leave a Boston if he turned that down.
He knows that this team will Suck in the near future!!
He seems determined to make more guaranteed money which he will get whether it’s from Boston or another team.
Barring an overplay, it’s called negotiations. Forget saberstats. Anyone who watched knows how great he was at third compared to others this and past seasons. That said, his age and injury history cannot be ignored. He’ll get a new deal from Boston or some other club that will be drafted to reflect more total dollars and a higher AAV than what the Astros offered (and counting his 25 salary). That way Boras saves face.
2/80 vs 4/140 is more guarenteed money. Why would an injury prone playee want to return to free agency at 33. Betting on himself now, is bad money, thats a young players game.
@birdmansns He’s 32 next March.
Agreed,
Whether the $80M is up front over two years, or paid partially up front and balance through deferred, it’s a pretty good number for Bregman.
I don’t know that he gets 2/$80M in the market this offseason. Maybe he’s thinking more overall dollars on a longer deal paying non-deferred (ie. 4/$100M). At 31 though, there’s still another contract for him out there after the 2/$80M ends in Boston. I would keep the cash on the Sox contract, set himself up for years to come hen the deferred money starts paying out and then hit the market for a more immediate payout in his age 33 year.
33 when the 2/80 ends
Injury prone player ??? Really ?
Games played
2024 144
2023 161
2022 155
2021 91
2019 156
2018 157
2017 155
With the deferrals its 2/60 he is forgoing. He will get far more than that in free agency.
He opted out of the “fake news” 3/$120 million contract he signed with the Red Sox because he is going to get way more when he signs a “regular” 5/$150 million deal and he won’t have to wait until 2046 to get it. I still say the Red Sox are one of the three or four teams that will make him an offer.
Bye Bregman!! Let him walk!! Was out a month & a 1/2 with a leg cramp…. You will look great in Dodger Blue!
Absolutely not.
conveniently leaving out how he played only 114 last season and he’s not getting any younger
phillies -That’s been my contention all along. Nobody is giving Bregman more than 40 mil a year. Maybe the Devers thing left a bad taste in his mouth or maybe he doesn’t like management in general.
Astro fan: his legbinjuri seems to be chronic and he came back too early this past season. He couldn’t run at all in the beginning. The injury is like a bad back to others or arm to a pitcher in my view. Just my take after watching nearly every game. His prior injury years earlier was almost always mentioned. Why if it wasn’t a real concern?
The Phillies have other priorities and signing Bregman probably would mean a loss of Schwarber at least.
phillies1993:
If you read, they talked about the contract having a lot of deferrals. So he’s probably just trying to get more upfront money.
Everyone keeps focusing on the 2/80. First off, due to the deferrals its actually 2/60 and he will average 30M per on his longer contract. Forget about the AAV – if he gets 5/150 then he gets more. Its not very hard to understand.
Astros_fan_in_Aus
9 hours ago
Injury prone player ??? Really ?
Games played
2025 114
2024 144
2023 161
2022 155
2021 91
==================
Injury-prone? No. But the injury factor has to be considered., just like everything else.
outinleftfield
With the deferrals its 2/60 he is forgoing.
=====================
It’s alarming how many people do not consider the deferrals.
phillies – He turned down $172M from the Tigers (with only $40M deferred) because he wanted either 6 yrs/$186M or 7yrs/$200M.
And you think 2 yrs/$62M NPV would interest in him in the slightest?
He’s all about greed, no way he would have accepted the Red Sox offer last winter without opting out now.
As the article clearly states that $80
Million is misleading because it has a much lower present value.
bird – According to the writer, Bregman “is a reasonable bet to stay healthy moving forward” ;O)
I don’t see it. He missed 10% of the season last year, and he missed a huge amount of time 4 years ago with yet another quad injury.
Getting older doesn’t make you less injury prone, especially with his injury history. Any contract of more than 4 years would be insane, but of course some desperate team will give it to him anyway. Hopefully not the Red Sox.
greg – His value as a free agent in 2 years would be far less based on declining play and injury history. His time to cash in is now. He knows what he’s doing, and so does Boras.
Fen – Of course the Sox will make him an offer, the fanbase would crucify the Sox if they don’t. But whatever contract he does get, from whichever team, will almost certainly include deferred money. The Tigers offer last winter included deferred money.
run – And Dodgers fans will forget about 2017, just like many Red Sox fans did.
Bregman is NOT getting $30 million avv another year older by any team on a 4/5 yr deal. Personally he is a fool for declining $40 million avv deferred or not. I see 4/110 with option.
Bregman is 31… won’t be 32 until the end of March. Even if he gets 4./$120M that’s a 50% bump in the guaranteed money.
@bird He has been on IL 4 times in his entire career one of those times was covid protocol. He has not been injury prone.
You’re dumb.
You think the Dodgers would sign one the guys that cheated them out of a WS in 2017?? lol
Maybe he can play SS for the Yankees
The Yankees are only a top contender because of Judge.If he is out for an extended time they will suck too.Would think Anthony and Mayer will do better than Dominguez and Jones.Other than that Volpe isn’t great,Chisholm makes really bad decisions.
Great troll job. It’s been 16 years, bum
Those cheaters still get boos whenever they play
By your own estimates….He sounds SMART to take it. The contract he declined was really about 2/60 not 2/80 as pointed out in the article. Think Savings Bond. Let’s say I owe you $100. Would you accept me going to the bank, buy a Savings Bond for $10 with a $100 payout in 20 years? Nope.
So in your example, instead getting 30/30 and being a FA in 2 years….He is getting 30./30/25/25 now. Locking in that extra $50m over 2 years now is smart. I’m not convinced in 2 years he would get a 2/50 contract.
Bregman is not getting $40 million per year. After deferrals are taken into account he is getting $30 million per year. By opting out he gave up $60 million. He is going to get closer to $150 million guaranteed. That is a $90 million difference. Its not hard to understand why he opted out.
He is trying and will get far more guaranteed money.
@greg 2 years and $80M is alot, in current MLB economics it is not outrageous tho. It also not actually $80M in present day value. Each of those seasons has $20M deferred, so the true value would b $20M + the cost of funding the deferrals at end of each season. Without doing the math an educated guess is roughly $9M using the rule of 72(how long it takes til $ doubles).
That said we re looking at a true value of 2 yrs $58M and risk associated with entering free agency prior to his age 34 season. He obviously had intentions of hitting free agency again this year and signed what was a one year deal with a 2 year insurance policy, that is the reality of current MLB and opt outs.
It was known last offseason he wanted a longer deal and it was obvious at time of signing with the opt outs he’d seek another one this offseason barring a significant injury or absolute collapse.
He didn’t even earn his money this year, even the prorated amount with the deferred dollars. Why they hell would anyone want to extend him for more years at that level and continue to get less than their money’s worth?
Note to Bregman- When you get to Chicago, Just keep going. Non Essential Personnel for the price.
He is coming to Anaheim as Rendon’s replacement.
And Rendon will suddenly get cured miraculously of all his ailments and maintain his NTC :p
🤣
Bregman wants to go back to Houston and get the band back together with Carlos, Jose, and Yordan. Blast from the past. They will still need a few starting pitchers though. And who’s playing tambourine??
@Ignorant Son-of-a-b
More cowbell.
@goob,
Guess what? I’ve got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!
Looks like Arenado might be a fit in Boston if Bergman leaves. The Red Sox would love Arenado’s circus act — Gold Glove defense and Arenado would love that left field wall on offense!!!
This could possibly be the worst thread of comments I’ve ever read on this site. Kudos, people.
17dizzy, Arenado looks utterly toast with the bat. He should be a platoon guy at this stage who can start in a pinch.
I’m Probably thinking with my heart instead of reality.
However —- out of 401 at bats this season, Arenado only struck out 49 times. That’s only a 12% strikeout rate on the season.
So he is making contact — 88% of the time.
I feel like he really got lied to by the Cardinals John Mozeliak…..
To keep Arenado from opting out of his contract, Mozeliak told him the Cardinals were going to build around him and Goldschmidt with quality players to make a run through the playoffs for another National League Championship.
We all know that didn’t happen and the Cards are in a rebuild!!!
His fielding is still excellent. I’m just hoping that Arenado’s 88% contact — turns into more hits dropping in —- while — hopefully for his sake—- he gets to play on a team who is a true contender.
There is a difference between lying and failing.
Lying: intentionally misrepresenting the truth
Failing: trying to do something but being unable to do it
Mozeliak failed at remaining competitive. He signed three old pitchers for quite a bit of money for 2023, the last window for the Arenado/Goldy years. He got poor results.
No. Thank you… Arenado cannot hit anymore. Have you watched any Cardinals games this year?
You’re unlikely to get anyone to agree with you. Mayer would be my first choice at 3rd and use the $30M elsewhere.
But I could easily make an argument that Arenado’s stats might exceed Mayer’s stats next year. Just taking some crude stats, Arenado had 18 HRs and a 73/42 K/W, while Mayer had 19 HRs and a 194/38 K/W per 600.
If, and that’s a big IF, if the Cards picked up a lot of salary, and the RS wanted Arenado at 3rd & Mayer at 2nd, while spending big on Alonso and pitching, that could work out.
In any case, I wouldn’t dismiss Arenado.
I remember thinking, back when Arenado didn’t try to leverage his last opt-out into an extra year or more money, that he was doing the Cards a favor. Turns out, it was a bigger favor than I thought.
Mayers at 3B! Story SS.. Polanco at 2B! Trade for Joe Ryan and take M King 3/50m
Yes!
Polanco is a Mariner sheesh. If he wins the World Series with the Mariners; why would he sign anywhere else?? Same with Naylor.
See ya, quitter.
You mean, cheater…
He’s a quitter for exercising an option the team allowed him to have? Bet you’re fun around the holidays.
All the classics, Bing Crosby and Pat Boone lol, dont forget the egg nog…
I love egg nog!!
Everyone in the world, outside of TV characters, would take advantage of their work situation.
You read the contract you signed and make your choices. He hasn’t burned any bridges with the club, just wants to convert a lot of deferred money to something nearer and maybe a little larger. Even if he manages a 4/$125 with an option in BOS it’s to his advantage to make that move. Just business, no hard feelings.
Agreed. He hasn’t burned any bridges in Boston. With Devers, Buehler and probably Giolito coming off the books (that’s $90 million), Sox can well afford to bump up Bregman to market value. If Bregman doesn’t return it’s either because some team significantly overpays or because the Sox decide they’d rather keep infield spots for Mayer, Campbell (who is signed for seven more years) and Story. Bregman opt-out likely decreases the chances that Story opts out. If both of them do, it seems more likely the Sox stretch to re-sign Bregman than Story, and if Boston isn’t bidding, Story’s current two year $50 million deal may be hard to improve upon, even in a weak SS market.
Bump Bregman up to market value? He made 40MM last year.
That’s in the same bucket as Ohtani, Judge, and Soto. Those guys produced a heck of a lot more than Bregman.
He wants more years at a similar rate, but yeah, that’s a poor way to word it.
He may not even want the same rate just the locked in money. If 5/150 gets put in front of him he signs it. Hes looking for his last contract the AAV isn’t as important as the overall.
That’s why I said a “similar” rate. But if he takes too much of a discount on the AAV, he might be better off signing a 3-year deal at top dollar and then 1 or 2-year deals at lesser rates after that.
Using that 5/150 example, he could very well possibly get 3/120 and then two years each at 1/20 after that for a total of $160M over the same time period.
If you’re going to sign 3/120 you stay on your 2/80 and enter FA a year younger. Then if you get 2/40 you’ve made the same money and are a year younger. He would beat 2/40 two years from now if he keeps playing the way he is.
The only reasonable reason to opt out now is to sign your last contract.
He made $30 million in present day value of the dollars he will eventually receive last season. You seem to have a hard time with the reality of the decreased value of money paid in 2035-2046 vs money paid today.
40 million USD will go from the Boston Red Sox to Alex Bregman for his services in 2025.
I have no issue grasping the fact that inflation exists. That doesn’t change the fact that Bregman is getting paid 40MM, he’s not getting paid 30MM. I care about the actual amount of currency changing hands.
You are apparently not informed enough to even try to discuss this with but here is one last attempt before I mute you.
The value of money is what you can buy with it. Period. Not the face value on the bill. What you can buy with it.
In this case Bregman is not receiving $40 million because the buying power of the $20 million he will receive in 2035-2046 is about half of what the buying power is of the same amount of money in 2025. That will make the total buying power of his contracted pay for playing in 2025 less than $30 million.
Here is another example. I pay the person who cuts my lawn $30. If you mow my lawn today, I will gladly give you $20 today and then set $20 dollars in an escrow account that earns ME interest and dole out $20 to you in $2 increments from 2035-2046. $1 in 2035-2046 won’t buy you what $1 will buy you today. The $20 I put in escrow will earn me about 7.5% of the total in interest when compounded at today’s really low interest rates so I don’t end up even giving you $40 out of my pocket, and that last $20 is worth far less in buying power to you.
The team wins.
The player gets far less than what the “media” or face value of the contract is since that money paid in 10-20 years will buy them much less than getting that money now.
The media or face value is not the actual amount. It is illusionary. The value of money is what you can buy with it. That money paid in 10-20 years will buy you far less than money paid to you now.
Bregman is getting paid $20 million in 2025 and the rest of the money paid out in 2035-2046 will buy him half or less of what that initial $20 million he was paid this year will buy him.
With that I am done. Either you understand or you don’t.
He doesn’t want to get stiff armed into playing 1B after Casas is out for the year with a hang nail and they signed Eugenio Suarez on St Patrick’s Day
They may resign Lowe if they can get him cheap. That will cover 1st if Casas has any more issues. I don’t see them signing both Bregman and Suarez.
Hmm, didn’t realize a ruptured patella tendon was equivalent to a hang nail, go figure.
Same BS people used to give Ellsbury back in the day.
Speaking of Casas and nails, why does he paint his? I know we’re supposed to be inclusive and all that these days, but it looks stupid.
I think it is part of the modern rock vibe. You see many of the young rock bands and celebrities with that as part of their look. He would fit into that vibe. I never even noticed that Casas did that, but makes no difference to me. I just hope he gets healthy and can get back to the potential he showed early on.
Uncle, it makes no difference to me, and it shouldn’t make a difference to anyone else. But when you play in the public eye, optics are important, and things like this and sun tanning topless makes him look less serious.
It feels like he’s following his own drummer. But it also feels a bit like he isn’t taking his day job seriously. enough. He’s the type of player that should spend a month in AZ every year, come back in great shape, have a few great years.
Then get paid off and go back to whatever it is you want to do.
He definitely needs to be doing everything he can to be in great shape for spring training. His eccentric behavior can be overlooked if he is giving everything he can to be the best ball player possible. It was frustrating not to have a chance to see what he could bring to first base for a full healthy season. At this point, it is on him to prove himself and I really hope he does. Can’t remember the recovery time and not sure what stage he is at now.
You win 20 in the show you can let the fungus grow on your shower shoes and people will think you’re colorful, until then you’re a slob
Scramb – When he was a kid he decided to have his nails done with his mom as a way of bonding with her. Now he does it to keep that connection to her, as she tragically passed away.
Fever- Thanks for the info. Had no idea. Interesting, so not at all what I was thinking. Definitely can’t hold it against him when it is a tribute to his mom, not that I would hold it against him anyway as he has a right to do whatever he wants as far as his appearance goes.
Sad to see it official
Why???
He’s not near the player he was hyped up to be going into Boston!!!
You ought to be proud he’d leaving!!!!!
You are right. He was better.
I wouldn’t mind if they bring him back on a new deal but it can’t be a 7 year plus deal
I’d be fine with a 5 year pact. Give him an opt out after year 3 if you want.
Value depends on if any is deferred.
Say what you will about his past, he was a huge positive on the kids who came up.
…and he’s a great player. Everyone could see it in Houston and Boston.
GaSox – I’m on record as $100M/4yrs …. he’s not more than a $25M annual player, and committing beyond 4 years would be insane. But there’s always at least one desperate team that will overpay.
He had every intention of opting out after this season, it’s no surprise he was on his best behavior. It’s like those who suddenly “change” after getting married, they were on their best behavior only because they wanted to get married.
I don’t get this “best behavior” thinking. These guys are incredibly competitive and any player who has ever been injured knows how fragile and limited their days in MLB can be. They all want to be healthy and playing as well as they can to win and to earn adulation and make huge piles of money. If you don’t perform that all blows away so quickly and they do understand that.
crise – What does behavior have to do with performance or staying healthy?
I was referring to Bregman saying all the right things, focusing on a leadership role, painting himself as a team player.
He wants a longterm commitment, so he’s dong everything he can to get one. No different than Cora being on his best behavior last year …. until he signed a new extension.
Luis Severino makes 25 million a year
Bregman is much more than Severino
The – Rendon makes $39M a year, does that mean Bregman should get more?
I mean didn’t you answer your own question?
I agree. I can see the value in bringing him back, but it all will depend on what kind of contract he is looking for. I don’t think they should go over 4 years.
Uncle – Great minds!!
Absolutely, no more than four.
I think Arenado has a good year or 2 left, especially in the right ballpark.
You might be the only one who thinks that
I know but I’ve always loved his game. He’s 35 next year. If he is healthy and in the right ballpark and in the right line-up, I think he can still be good.
His powers been cut in half the last 2 years, don’t think it’s cutting back this age.
Then again I probably would have said the same thing about Springer last offseason. But it is rare
Maybe if he only started 100 games, but I don’t think he can be an everyday regular.
Wilmer … similar to a Mike Lowell revival at Fenway – I agree on Arenado.
There’s no reason to take the chance. The Red Sox print money.
Ha ha. I totally understand why there is that perception. He crushed the Giants. Time after time after time…….
Anyone but “Swish” Suarez.
I agree w/Wilmer. Arenado’s peripherals suggest positive regression. I wouldn’t expect much, but he should be tolerable.
Wilmer – I don’t think Arenado will be able to play his home games in a little league park.
I hope ATL can lock down Kim at SS. He’s been solid all over the field, and with such a thin free agent market at SS, keeping him makes the most sense.
But if they can’t get it done, I wouldn’t hate taking a shot on Alex Bregman. He’s mostly a third baseman, but the guy’s got a good glove and smarts, so maybe he could hack it at short. Plus, Bo Bichette has been a mess defensively this year, so Bregman might actually be the safer bet. Or hey, maybe ATL swings big and tries to land Jordan Lawlar if he’s available.
If the Braves won’t pay Kim 20 million, they’re definitely not going to pay Bregman 30+ to play out of position. I think they’ll resign Kim or they’ll trade one of their young arms for a SS.
Good point, but let’s see if they are willing to spend first.
He’s not worth 40
Million per-he will never get that anywhere else-he is worth 25 per for 3 years
You are not really that aware. He will easily get 5 years and $180 million which is more than current value of the deferred deal
Easily? From who? $36M AAV? Not a chance unless it’s again heavily deferred. Sox are a better club with both Bregman and Story but if they remove the purse strings, they have enough talent returning assuming Casas and Anthony return to form, that free agent moves can make the club a strong contender again. If both show they are healthy, Duran and Casas can be dealt for more pitching. I would love for Suarez and Alonso to both be signed (if Bregman leaves) but I’d be happy with just Suarez and keeping Casas (I still think Alonso returns to the Mets$.
Red Sox, Tigers, Mets, Dodgers, Yankees, Phillies, Angels, and Mariners, just to name a few teams who could both start Bregman tomorrow and pay him that salary.
You can definitely scratch the Mets off of that list. They already have Baty (similar WAR to Bregman, younger, far cheaper) and bigger holes in pitching to fill. Also if you’re asking for the Mariners to spend a lot of money on Bregman, you’re crazy. They will likely prioritize Naylor and won’t spend much else anywhere. Don’t understand why the Dodgers would be interested, either, given that they hold a $10 million option on Muncy, which seems like a no-brainer.
Casas doesn’t play 3B. His form is 50 games played per year. Your manager said he didn’t know what Casas role would be next season. I don’t think that the Red Sox are counting on him for much, especially after he had a 62 OPS+ prior to getting injured. If he is healthy and comes out hitting like crazy in spring training, that still wouldn’t fill 3B.
Chicken In Philly?
Red Sox, Tigers, Mets, Dodgers, Yankees, Phillies, Angels, and Mariners,
=======================
Can or will? The Tigers will get roasted if they sign Bregman over Skubal. The NYY will be starting McMahon. The Phillies get roasted if they sign Bregman over Schwarber. The Angels likely are still hoping on Rendon.
That’s more wishful thinking than reality.
DET can pay Skubal and Bregman, but they wouldn’t have much for anything else. Still worth doing though.
“The Angels likely are still hoping on Rendon”
Thank you for that – the funniest thing I’ve read this week!
“Still hoping on Rendon” – I guarantee they are NOT
You cannot scratch any team off Bregman’s list except the teams that don’t engage in free agent spending. This is not a criticism of the players these teams currently have, but all of the above teams spend from their profits and will move, especially younger, players to make it all work. Baty is developing, but he’s no Bregman, nor will he ever be. His ceiling is a 3 WAR player, and with Alonso possibly not returning, to say either corner position is solidified is ridiculous.
The premise is can, and Skubal has little to do with this year’s free agency. Skubal is signed for 2026, and if the Tigers want to sign him before he hits free agency, they might want to show that they’re legitimately willing to invest.
NYY does have McMahon, but they don’t have a shortstop that can field or hit. The free agent market is extremely short of viable options in that department. Again, get creative.
Bregman would quite literally be the one free agent player that could replace Schwarber in the clubhouse AND play a position…very well, at that. And while they need to get young, either signing would be fine.
Finally, LOL. Man. Cmon.
The chances of the NYY replacing Volpe with Bregman are near zero. As a RS fan, I’d love to see that.
And Bregman in Philly likely means losing both Bohm and Schwarber. You’d still a DH.
Angels are hoping Rendon doesn’t even bother showing up to spring training.
He didn’t get that contract last offseason. I don’t see his numbers this year, especially with the injury, leading to a deal like that unless they were desperate and a good chunk was deferred.
If the Red Sox bring him back it will be a 4 or 5 year deal max and probably at at $35 million per on average. I don’t see it happening.
I would be shocked if he somehow gets a 7+ year, $40+ per deal.
No one is going close to 40 mill aav on a longer term contract.
I’d expect closer to a 5 year 160 contract but it gives him more money and gives him stability from having to move again in 2 years
I agree but I am trying to get into Bregman and Boras’s head. He had 2 years at $80 remaining with the Sox. For him to opt out they must be in the mindset at least somewhere around a $35 mill average.
5 is probably the magic number but I don’t think anyone is going to give them the average they think. 5 year, 160 sounds right but that means he traded 2 and 40 to add 3 at 26 per.
But the 2 at 40 is really more like 2 at 32, given the deferred money. That’s why 5/160 seems reasonable. But I’m sure Boras will look for 6or 7 years before he settles for 5. But will the Red Sox wait while Boras slow-plays the market?
Every player will trade short term/higher AAV for more years, and greater overall value, even if that means a lower AAV.
He SHOULD get like a 5/125, and at that point why not just take the 2/80 and try to beat a 3/45 for your next deal.
But some team will over pay for him, I hope it’s not the Red Sox.
Agree 100%.. Put Mayer at 3B for the next 2 years until Story’s deal is done (I do believe Story stays). Plan B could be to sign Suarez.
Would love for Story to opt out, I think this is the one good year he will have and next year his defense will slip more and he will be expensive for his deal.
If he opts out, sure maybe the Sox get burned and he magically stays healthy but I doubt it.
Suarez would be nice, get that nice, power RHB in Fenway.
If he only got $125 million it would be a guaranteed $45 million more than $80 million.
The present day value of what he opted out is about $60 million, so that hypothetical $125 million is $65 million more.
I doubt he has to settle for less than 5/150 and that is $90 million more in guaranteed money.
I don’t see the Red Sox overpaying for him. They have not been big spenders for years and I doubt that is suddenly going to change.
They may go all in on Alonso. If only to keep him from the Yankees. Bidding war ensues. No money left for Bregman.
Yankees have Rice at 1B. Stanton at DH. They won’t be in on Alonso
The -rumor- is they may trade Rice for something they really need, and he may be one of their few, if not only, viable trade chips.
The Red Sox will re-sign him for something like 6/210. Then unload the contract to some west coast team right after the 2027 lockout.
I got to laugh.
Bringing him in chased Deveres, the face of the team, out of town, and now Breg is skipping town too..
Whether they traded Devers or not, Roman will be the face of the team next year and may be the face of the league for years to come
Lol its so funny they made the playoffs ..tells you Devers was not needed to make playoffs..all he did was be the face of a last place team..so keep laughing
Devers is still a great player, it’s a team game you can’t put past failures on him especially when he performed.
Just a bit too much money for a one dimensional player, Red Sox already spent it elsewhere
It had more to do with some of our broken toys actually producing. If Devers was still here he would have just added his stats to those others. Keep in mind what we got back in the trade and what it produced. We were in no way better off with him leaving except defensively.
You can make the argument this year the Priester trade was worse. No one brings him up but he had a great year for the Brewers. If you have him in game 2 against they Yankees they might have moved on.
Don’t forget the draft pick they gave up to sign him.
So they wasted 40MM and the draft pick to go all in on Bregman. They should have showed that same urgency to improve the roster at the deadline.
You’re laughing like a jester. Devers was sooner or later going to have to move off 3B, and now we know he was going to be a selfish baby about it. Bringing in Bregman didn’t chase him out of town; he chased himself out of town.
Devers is already never going back to 3B. He will have to move off 1B soon.
He looked pretty sharp in the limited number of games he played at 1st base for the Giants. And now he’ll have an entire off-season and ST to further prepare/acclimate to it. He wouldn’t be first ex-3rd baseman to turn himself a quality 1st baseman.
Devers had a -1 FRV on StatCast. He was below average in that small sample size. He was at the bottom of the league in scoops per attempt, which is the most important thing a 1B does. His closest comparisons were Casas, Rice, and Hoskins. Not a group of stud defensive players to find yourself in.
Having never played the position, I think he made progress during that SSS.
We’ll see what an offseason/SP of prep can do. I think he’ll become a solid, playable option at 1st base for the Giants, over the next few years, even if he’s primarily used at DH.
And who are the loyal Yankees besides Judge? The Yankees run new free agents out there every year. I don’t even know how you keep track of them without a scorecard. But it seems to be working for them… Oh, wait.
if I was orioles Gm. I sign Bregman and move Westburg to LF
sign Ranger Suarez and trade for another starter and win the East
Orioles are going to sign Jon gray and Tommy Pham and call it a day lol
No thanks – too much money to spend on something that isn’t a weakness. They could spend less on Alonso and have more offensive output.
There are many different ways for them to win the east but wasting money on Bregman isn’t one of them.
Agreed, they need to acquire pitching.
Don’t fear the Cheater
Dont let the trash can hit you on the way out…
Now that’s so funny I wish I had thought of it myself.
Well played indeed!
“More trash can please!” – C. Walken
Bregman’s best seasons were after the trash cans were no longer being used.
@outinleftfield But once you get that kind of reputation, it is hard to be forgotten.
Stupid to remember in this case. He improved once there was no electronic sign stealing. Especially when we know that the Yankees and Red Sox were also penalized for doing something very similar in 2017 and 9 other teams including the Dodgers were named in the commissioners report as having done it at least part of the 2017 season. Are we supposed to throw all Yankees and Red Sox players in 2017 into that same boat of once a cheater always a cheater?
It works out for the RS as he’s not worth $40M/year. 18-19 HR and 270 average with plus leadership is still not worth $40M/year Missed a lot time….again. If they can workout 4 years – $110M…maybe. Let’s see the creativity juices flow on developing a new contract…. or not!..
What do you mean “missed a lot of time…again” ?
Games played
2024 144
2023 161
2022 155
2021 91
2019 156
2018 157
2017 155
You really should check your facts before making assumptions.
2021 was a full season 😎
He’s averaged 133 games per year over the past 5 years.
I was more commenting because of the poster comment at the bottom about “checking their facts”.
Bregman played in 114 games in 2025. That’s missing a lot of games.
In 2021 Bregman only played in 91 games out of 162.
So Bregman missed a lot of time in 2021, and again in 2025. That statement is 100% true – “Missed a lot of time… Again”.
So he misses, on average, 29 games a season over the past 5 years – as you said he averages 133 games a season.
Comparatively, Rafaela Devers has averaged 150 games a season for the last 5 years.
Also he missed 30% of the COVID season.
Rafaela Devers , ha my auto correct did something weird whoops.
Its $30 million per year when you factor in the deferrals. Did you not read the article?
By opting out, Bregman is forgoing two years at a $40MM AAV.. Yes the AAV is lowered through deferrals but essentially as article says it is 2 years at $40M/year.. Good grief, he still gets paid $40M for that one year of work whether some of it is now or deferred later. BTW, “By opting out, Bregman is forgoing two years at a $40MM AAV. That figure is somewhat misleading, though, as $60MM of the $120MM total is deferred through 2035-46” which means he’s not getting $30M per year as you say it is more like $20M/year now and $20M/year deferred until 2035-2046.when he originally signed.
Bregman was paid a $5 million signing bonus, $15 million in salary, and $20 million was deferred to be paid between 2035-2046. The buying power of the money he was to be paid is somewhere between $27.6 million and $29.8 million in 2025 dollars depending on inflation. I was being generous in saying he was giving up $60 million for those two season and that he made $30 million in 2025.
You don’t understand that because you are obviously in a much, much lower tax bracket.
He was only paid $30 million and delivered more than that in value, not including the effect on the young players having him on the team.
Back to Boston, Detroit or Cubs the 3 highest odds?
I don’t see the Cubs in on him. Shaw is 8 years younger I believe, his glove was excellent this year, his arm is fine and his bat will come around more in year two. I think Shaw is the Cub 3B for years.
The Cubs thing is a lot like so many other suggestions. Teams almost never replace a viable, minimum wage player with a $30M player, and Shaw is a lot better than viable.
And just as important, a lot of teams have competing interests. You seldom fill a small hole when larger holes exist.
not entirely surprising but I really hope the sox don’t over extend themselves.
In your nice little recap You conveniently forgot to mention the part where they saved a fortune in terrible contract and still have a fantastic team with new money to burn
Oh and made the playoffs for the first time since 2021..
What you call a “fumble” many might call genius
In no way was it genius.
Even if the decision was to move on from Devers and his contract, which is fair, they traded him at a low point after dragging his name in the mud. You can’t find genius in that
If the goal was simply to remove him and all of the contract it really was..my point is they did not care what they received back..that was just fluff if thier true goal was achieved
Devers handled embarrassing himself quite well and didn’t need any help. It’s interesting that no one in the clubhouse ever came to Devers’s defense. He acted like an entitled child. I’m surprised there was no video of him holding his breath.
It was..his name is Roman Anthony
The Red Sox missed Devers’ bat so much they went on to make the playoffs without him.
The Red Sox lineup could have had both Anthony and Devers, and even Bregman if Breslow understood how to manage people. They could have had this a few years, would have been an amazing lineup.
That’s much better than just Anthony.
Devers would have def helped them score runs down the stretch when Roman went down, might have been a difference in the wild card round
They already replaced Devers bat and for the major league minimum. Anthony outhit Devers after the trade. Anthony will only get better. Devers will only get fatter.
Devers was only slightly better than Yoshi in September, and Yoshi was 4-7 in the playoffs. There’s no doubt that Devers is better than Yoshi, but I for an extra $32M, I wouldn’t have kept him.
If you want to play the small sample size game, look at August instead of September 🙃
Hey Joe not sure if you were replying to me but my statement of naming Roman Anthony was in response to it being hard to replace the production of Devers and the examples were Tucker and alonzo..my response was that they already replaced Devers with Anthony and it turned out to be cheap. Of course having all of Devers Anthony and bregman in the same lineup is best case scenario but that wasn’t the question and by the time Anthony proved his bat was so great Devers was long gone and we can all moan about poor people skills and whatnot but that bell has been rung ..so we need to get over it and be excited about this amazing young team coming back
Pool – I was replying to the other Joe comparing Yoshida and Devers Septembers. Should have been more clear, it’s a pain to follow these comments especially on a phone.
Agree on Anthony though. Excited to see how he does next year!
Now that the seasons over, it’s time to start looking at 2026. Let’s hope that they build on the good parts of 2025. They need some real pop from the right side (or heck, I’d even take a LHB power guy but not sure what’s available in FA), a top of the rotation arm (Not many good options available in FA, and honestly I pushed hard for Ryan in season but don’t love the trade as an off-season one), and of course BP help.
Hope springs eternal or something.
John..thats a fair point but if you look at his career babiep including minors since 2022.
Its 404 and has stayed VERY consistent over now 4 seasons I will grant it, youd have to assume it should come down in mlb based on what lesser players have done but keep in mind he isn’t them and it did initially..then the man adjusted and it reverted to his career norm..call it rose colored glasses if you want but all Anthony has ever done at every level is rake and adjust…who are we to say its gonna suddenly stop since hes proved it vs the best?
John..define the period they must sustain it for to meet your approval? Since Google will tell us both nobody has done it for a career of any decent length to this point.which by no means nobody will…all im saying is sure its bound to go down but you are acting like its gonna crash to make him irrelevant im thinking this guy is a generational talent and even if it comes down alot hes gonna be a fair replacement bat for Devers which was your initial argument that it would not be easy..well..in my opinion it is easy when you already have the replacement…you know what?its fine I can see we wont agree ..doesn’t mean either of us is wrong..I don’t need to be right so let’s watch him play see what happens and maybe remember this conversation down the road
Schmidt,
Roman Anthony had a .382 BABIP in AA and AAA over 849 PA and a .357 BABIP over the last 3 seasons in the minors in A, A+, AA, and AAA.
He has shown he can maintain a high BABIP. Maybe not .400, but .350-.360 is realistic for him. That level of drop in BABIP would mean an 8-10 point drop in his OPS+ and wRC+. If he had only had a .355 BABIP, he still would have been as good as Devers after the trade.
Anthony’s .463 SLG was lower in the majors than in the upper minors even though he was playing in a home ballpark and division that typically inflates SLG from what the player had in Portland and Worcester by 20-30 points. Just moving his SLG% up to his .498 AA and AAA average would mean a 20-30 point jump in his OPS+. and wRC+.
Offensively, with a 40-50 point drop in BABIP and an increase in SLG Anthony would be as good on offense as Devers.
Then you have to talk about defense. Devers is a defensive liability no matter where he plays. Even at 1B he had a -1 StatCast FRV. Anthony had a +4 FRV. In DRS he was even better at +7.
Now let’s discuss WAR. WAR is a counting stat in that the more you play, the higher the possible WAR. Devers played a full season and had a 4.0 WAR. Anthony played 71 games and had a 3.1 WAR. That is why WAR/162 has Devers at 4.0 and Anthony at 5.4 in 2025.
Devers offensive play took a nosedive.when he was playing 1B for the Giants. During the 30 games he played in the field he had a 58 OPS+.
Finally, the kicker. The projections for Anthony are between 5.2 and 5.8 bWAR in 2026. Devers 3.7-3.8 bWAR and that is with him playing 1B full time. If you look at fWAR projections, the difference is larger than that with Anthony at 5.6 – 6.0 fWAR and Devers at 3.3 – 3.4 fWAR. Fangraphs is projecting Anthony to be the superstar player that Devers is getting paid to be but not achieving.
The Red Sox have easily replaced Devers on the field production.
Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, Rogers Hornsby, Joe Jackson, Tris Speaker.
Stathead by Baseball Reference says that 14 players have had a BABIP over .400 for a 2 year stretch.
Since 1961 that database shows 102 players with 500 or more PA that had a BABIP of .390 or higher. 8 maintained that over a 2 year stretch.
You didn’t ask for last 50 years. So trying to change the parameters after the fact is what is really pathetic.
That you would even think about liking your own posts shows that you are the one that has multiple accounts.
None of my posts have been deleted by me. In fact, the post that named those 5 players is still up.
You never said anything about how far back to look in the stats and I named 5 immediately. all throughout this thread I have shown you to be wrong over and over and you don’t like being shown that you are wrong with the actual stats and facts, do you?
Actually, those guys along with Ted Williams and Ty Cobb were among a list of 14 guys that sustained a .400 BABIP over a 2 year period.
Since 1961 there have been 102 players that have exceeded a .390 BABIP and 8 that have done it in a two year stretch.
There have been 421 that have had a BABIP over over .360 for a 2 year stretch.
Since 1980 there have been 72 that have had a BABIP of .390 or higher for a 500 PA season.
Since 2000 there have been 19 that have had a BABIP of .390 or higher for a 500 PA season.
I am copying this one so if its deleted I will repost it again.
You said, and I quote, “Name me 5 players who have sustained .404, or even .390 BABIPs across several seasons of baseball. I’ll gladly wait.”
You didn’t have to wait. I named a few of them.
You got shown up and you are upset about it. I gave you exactly the information you asked for and it was not implied that it was anything other than who had a .400 BABIP. You said, and I quote, “Name me 5 players who have sustained .404, or even .390 BABIPs across several seasons of baseball. I’ll gladly wait.” There was no mention of in the past 50 years or any time frame.
I also showed you that you were wrong about his wRC+/OPS+ and everything else you posited other than his name.
If you have to stoop to insults instead of facts, then you have already lost the argument.
Not that it matters but the other person in the this immediate thread and who would have been notified of any comments or likes on it just like I was, Poolhalljunkies, liked my comments.
Please take your meds or just stop posting.
John…Fwiw I liked those posts, why are you so worked up by all this? The capitalized lol and referring to people that disagree with you as braindead..bro take a step back and realize this isn’t worth you hurting yourself over…relax
If you read here long enough, it will be obvious that outinleftfield and poolhalljunkies are not the same person.
Here we go.again
Not going to be reading.much baseball or.mlbtr if they inundated us everyday with articles.pushing this guy ….again…..
Readers/posters/possers are in luck…
.273 avaerage walking away from $40/ 2x years…. didn’t even hit 20 home runs…why does.the.media.push.this guy?
Barfolla…
B bye…
Ok..the Tigers could
Use him
The league average has been around the. 240s for the past few years, so. 273 is quite good in today’s game. Not that batting average is all that important, anyway.
Yes, it is. The metrics are not giving average its due, as it becomes scarcer.
He did a great job for us. But I think Mayer is the long-term answer at 3rd. I’d add Kim and move Story to 2nd, or start looking at Alonso. I’m not a fan of Alonso, but a RH 35-HR 1B is a nice fit.
What Contract is Alonso going to get? he’s another guy I wouldn’t go overboard for
My uneducated guess would be 4/110 max
I wouldn’t go overboard either, but I assume that he’ll be a good bit cheaper than Bregman. It might depend on how much faith the RS have in Casas. Or Mayer for that matter.
Or how much they think they can get for either one in a trade.
Fenway could be a great park for Alonso, Some of those flyball outs at Shea could become HRs, or 2Bs in that park.
He could play ball wall even if he didn’t get the meat on it
Casas can hit 35 HRs for 1/30th of the money and can actually catch a ball at 1B.
But can he play more than 50 games per season?
Alonso would be a beast inside Fenway. His homerun totals would skyrocket. Come to think about it though, how does Fenway not help any sort of hitter? Fenway is a bandbox hitting delight. Right? Are there any sort of hitters that necessarily get harmed by playing in Fenway ??
Son – It is said Jim Rice lost about 100 HRs during his career, because he hit lower line drives that would clear the fence in most ballparks, but wouldn’t clear a 37 foot tall green monster. Fenway is a doubles park, and it shows as the Red Sox lead the league in most years in doubles. The fallacy is that it is a HR park, but CF and RF are deeper than most parks except right down the line in RF. Again the LF walk takes away more HRs than it gives, but hay doubles are good too (it just means fewer RBIs and more runners left on base).
I think 6 year $150M is pretty risky at this point and he was hoping for $200M before. Hes been reasonably healthy the last three years but not this year and he isnt going to be MORE likely to be healthy as he gets older. He needed this to be more of a platform year than it was.
– They brought in Bregman to replace a 3B who plays defense poorly.
– The fiasco is on the front office miscommunication. Not on Bregman.
– It was always assumed he would opt-out. The best result for such contract structure is that the player opts out because he performed well. Red Sox made the playoffs partly based on that performance and also shed themselves of a long-term DH contract.
It sounds like the Red Sox miscommunicated to Devers, but I think Devers should have moved over to first base anyway. He had nothing to lose as he already already has his big payday.
but I think Devers should have moved over to first base anyway.
=====================
But we already had a 1B. And with a healthy Yoshi, we have a DH. And four good OFs. We have more players than positions.
There was no fiasco by the Red Sox front office. Devers arrived at spring training with two hurt shoulders. He could not practice at any position because of those injuries. He was not physically able to face live pitching until mid-March, more than a month after he got to spring training.
The Red Sox had no choice but to go out and get a 3B and they fell into one of the very best on what amounted to a 1 year deal.
All the problems in that situation were caused by Devers. Absolutely none of it was caused by Bregman.
That is where you are wrong. The catalyst for the situation was Devers arriving in spring training injured so bad that he was unable to even practice at any position other than DH until after the trade in June.
The Red Sox had no choice other than to sign someone to play 3B. There was no one in the organization that could have stepped into the position other than an unproven rookie.
Then Devers made that situation worse by refusing to admit that the only position he could physically play was DH. His temper tantrums caused all the problems after that.
Saving $254 million by getting rid of a bad apple who is destined to be a DH is always a good thing.
Again. You obviously haven’t watched him, Pads Fan. He is making a good fist of first base. Few hiccups early, followed by constant improvement, and got himself to league average in no time. Looking forward to seeing if he kicks on further.
The other thing that clearly illustrates that you haven’t watched him, is the fat jibe.
He is solid and roundish, but he is doing well for an endo.
It looks under control.
Jingle – Wow, and some people think I’M overly critical of the Sox! LOL!
Roman is the real deal, ignore the severely flawed BABIP stat.
You’re putting Romy and Ref ahead of Duran, Abreu, a healthy Narvaez & Casas & Yoshida, and maybe a returning Story?
Do you not even realize Romy and Ref are bench players?
Wow.
John..So you are basically calling story, abreau and duran garbage? as they are part of the offense…also this is my only account..believe me or not idc
You are delusional dude lol seriously get help.. I bet you have the market cornered on tin foil hats too.haha.or maybe you are such a massive narcissist that you cant fathom two other people having the same dim opinion of your crap take ..cant wait to see what you reply to this because..a true narcissist wont be able to help himself..this hanging out here will both the hell out of you
Bregman will be 32 to start the ’26 season.. Chapman got a 6 year $150 mil extension about the same age.while coming off a 7+ WAR and getting MVP votes.
Bregman would want more of course. But what team will make that mistake? Looking over recent 3B and not many are doing well after age 34.
No way the Sox go seven
No way anyone goes seven
Hoyer better not kick the tires on Bregman. Shaw showed he’s ready to take the next step next season.
I dont think he was worth 40 this year or 40 each year for the next two. But with the economics of baseball, hard to figure out what a guy should get. If Soto gets 700M this guy is worth ??? I could see him going to the same place. To the Mets along with Bellinger or Tucker. Whatever he is getting someone has to justify an overpay. If he is doing well and the team is in the LCS think its easy to say there you go it was the right move.
Could see SF. Somewhere where it feels he can tip the scale on making them a playoff team. That felt like the case with Boston so maybe it was worth it.
Bregman is a fit in SF if they sign him to play 2B.
Take a look at his spray charts. His game would not translate well to that park in SF.
My bad. Was just thinking they could use an impact player but couldn’t remember who they had at 3rd. 🤣 Yeah, not a great fit.
This was all expected people. It was more about the length of term not the AVV necessarily. He also wanted to know the seriousness of off season aggressive moves before committing and seeing what others are looking for. If Alonso is. Looking for 7 etc. where he falls in relative to that. Makes all the sense and was all expected protocol. I fully expect him to be back in Boston unless they aren’t making solid moves to improve.
Not surprised at all, but it’s a business and we all have a tough time accepting that. As a Sox fan I am disappointed. However Boras once again has his client believing they can get more and more. I love Bregman however no one will give him 40 mill/yr even with deferrals. He was injured again this year, missing 7 weeks. While he turned in great defense and a .273 avg – 40 mill/yr is grossly overpaying for 18 home runs, under 100 RBI and to be a clubhouse leader.
We all know the Breslownomics – Bregman isn’t coming back because they won’t reach out with even more money. This guarantees us even more money to spend in FA (which Breslow won’t lol).
I see Bregman going to the Cubs where they will pay him what he wants and they will be desperate because they definitely will not be dropping 400 mill on Tucker. Going to go: 5 yr. 220 mill.
I could see rangers 5-200 massive overpay but it is 2026.
Champ – You’re a Rangers fan, how did you miss the news they are doing a reset this offseason?
I still believe they’re gonna sign Luis Arraez that is Skip favorite player in baseball. He’s a perfect fit with Texas.
FPG
That’s why I ask…..
That $$$ is not ever placed against the operating cost or the players payroll…??
CDC – You mean the gain? No …. it’s not out of the Red Sox pocket, it’s out of the escrow.
$31M is what goes on the Red Sox books as player payroll expense, with the $11M accrued until it’s deposited into escrow.
Bregman isn’t going to the Cubs. They’ve got Matt Shaw in place at third, and they can sell the fan base on his promise for at least another year. They’ll do the same with Owen Caissie in right field if they don’t re-sign Tucker. If the Cubs spend big this off-season, it’ll be on starting pitching. Maybe a catcher or first baseman if there’s someone too good to pass on.
Agree on Bregman not going to the Cubs. Busch is entrenched at first. If the Cubs could acquire Adley Rutschman he would become your number one catcher. Kelly can back him up. Move Amaya, too injury prone.
Let me state up front that I really like Busch on the Cubs. But he sits against LHP, and if the coaching staff doesn’t think his effectiveness against LHP is going to improve, then the Cubs definitely have to look at 1B in free agency/trades, because you can never sit still when you’ve got a platoon situation in the starting line-up. Maybe that means getting an all-star 1B or maybe it means finding a better platoon option than Justin Turner… someone who hits great against LHP who can platoon with Busch at 1B and also fill in at other positions.
But, yeah, if I had to prioritize free agent acquisitions, it would be starting pitcher, big time closer, catcher, and then 1B, with SP rated as most important by miles.
Quinnap89
This guarantees us even more money to spend in FA (which Breslow won’t lol).
I see Bregman going to the Cubs where they will pay him what he wants and they will be desperate because they definitely will not be dropping 400 mill on Tucker. Going to go: 5 yr. 220 mill.
===========================
If Breslow signed Bregman and Chapman to FA contracts, and paid big money to extend Crochet, why would he pay big money to extend Bregman?
And besides the Cubs already having a 3B, no one is giving Bregman $44M a year. Not even close imo.
I don’t think it will happen, but I remember when Adrian Beltre went to the Red Sox one year and then he signed that big deal with Texas. Rangers have a lot of money coming off the books Scott Boras, and the Rangers organization is Tight.
I think they stick with Jung. He looks like he is finally becoming a dependable player. They have a much bigger problem at 1st.
I’m with you but he a Chris Young apparently got into some heated discussions this year.
Champ – Younger and cheaper team next year, why do you think Bochy left.
mlbtraderumors.com/2025/09/bruce-bochy-will-not-re…
They have 70 million off the books so they can still spend 50 million and be a lot less than last year. They won’t pay Adolis and Heim either that is 17 million Combined.
Champ – I think they are looking to reduce payroll by a lot more than $20M.
And what about making the team younger? That means trading veteran players for younger ones, the exact opposite of signing veteran free agents.
I could see him making an AAV of $25M/year. Only concern would be his durability when making those contract signings.
He had a strong year this year with his RVPG of 0.708, which was quite high but assuming say an 8% decline due to age/power, it brings that number down to 0.651. Over 135 games that results in 88 Runs Created., which would sit around a reasonable 3.5 WAR.
Just depends on where he lands.
25MM seems reasonable for a longer term deal, but I feel like some team will get suckered into like 5/150.
Detroit will be eager to acquire Bregman.
Hopefully for Boston and their fans they resign Bregman. Would be a pretty bad look to lose Bregman and Devers after 1 season of Bregman. I honestly think Bregman will be back on a longer contract. I think I remember him saying he really liked the Red Sox. But then again Blake Snell said he enjoyed and would be open to resigning with the Giants when that wasn’t going to happen. I suppose Snell is happy in LA on a long term contract and yearly playoff berths. I don’t care for him and the way he handled the early season last year and opting out of his last start with the Giants. All that said he sure pitched one hell of a game last night. Hope Bregman returns to you Red Sox fans. This will be his last chance to cash in on a lucrative 4-5 year contract.
Snells year with the Giants was all about the payday. Definitely came across as cautious. It worked for him, so fair enough. Ended up in a great spot.
Every FA says they want to return. They don’t want to burn a bridge or lose a bidder.
FWIW, I don’t miss Devers. He’s pretty good, but also gets paid pretty well. How much difference is there between Devers and Alonso? It’s not huge, and Alonso will be cheaper, with a shorter duration, albeit 2 years older.
Very good player. Is he worth $40 mil/yr…..NO
Absolutely right
Safe to say we now know why Boston left Devers at 3B for so long. Clearly, they were concerned with how he would react to being moved, and sooner or later he needed to move. Now that we know he was always going to respond terribly to it – HE soured things by being a position selfish baby – better now than later when he would be older and harder to move once he became toxic.
Long – Totally correct. Devers bat speed is already starting to decline. It was good to unload Devers when they did.
I just want to know why Red Sox ownership allowed/encouraged their prior GM to verbally commit 3rd base to Devers before they got him to agree to that contract? Because there’s no way that happened without their say so. Did they intentionally deceive him in order to push the deal over the finish line, or what? Pray tell.
Long – Is that why they gave Raffy the monster contract extension too?
Your hatred of Raffy can’t be good for your health. Maybe you should park your car and sing “I Feel Pretty”.
Please let him go. Find a slugger.
Alonso! And one of those guys from Japan
No! Alonzo is a horrible 1B defensively and we are stuck with Masa at DH…so no
Tar – If Bregman leaves, Suarez makes the most sense.
I think the Sox really, really like Bregman. We know Cora loves him. We also know Heyman isn’t above a favor for his buddy Boras. It stands to reason that the player and his agent would like to maximize his value as long as they can. I don’t fault anyone in this. If he re-signs the sox have a proven commodity at 3B that they really like as a leader in the clubhouse for an exciting young team. If he leaves the sox have one of the smoothest defending prospects in years starting at 3B who just needs to prove what he can do with the bat.
Here is a more accurate recap.
Devers comes into camp with 2 hurt shoulders, out of shape, and unable to play any position on defense for at least 4-5 months. He is hurt so bad that he can’t even hit live pitching for more than a month in spring training and never took a single grounder at any position in spring training because he was physically unable. Devers has a hissy fit when Red Sox acknowledge that he will have to play DH because he can’t play 3B at all.
Red Sox react to Devers showing up to camp injured by signing Bregman 4 days later.
Devers has 2nd hissy fit when after Casas injury in early May he is asked to do the right thing, the team player thing, the winner thing, and start taking grounders at 1B in practice.
5 weeks later Devers is traded to the Giants. The Red Sox, who are playing .500 ball at the time of the trade, go on run that gets them to a 89-73 record and into the playoffs. The Giants, who were 11 games over .5o0 and in the running for a playoff spot at the time of the trade. collapse and end up at .500 and out of the playoffs.
What a great move by the Red Sox. They got one year of Alex Bregman for $30 million, made room on the roster for Anthony and Yoshida, and achieved a playoff berth for the first time since 2021. All that while getting rid of a me-first, overweight, whiny headache of a player that has 8 years at $32 million AAV left on what is sure to be a bad contract very soon.
Wow, I don’t recall that being the narrative at all regarding Devers arriving at Spring Training with two hurt shoulders and not being able to do anything on the field. I don’t recall that being the narrative that his injuries upon arriving at Spring Training were the catalyst for signing Bregman. Seems like pertinent details I would have remembered. Do you have any links handy that can verify that narrative??
Alex Cora explains Rafael Devers’ prolonged absence, delayed Red Sox debut
Alex Cora explains Rafael Devers’ prolonged absence, delayed Red Sox debut share.google/WDAmBb3CBpxS3SWXx
It wasn’t the reason they gave for signing bregman but sure was the narrative for not playing in spring
EAsy to find the information. Its all out there and Google will help you find it, although with the AI taking over its harder to get relevant information for your searches. Google “The Great Decoupling” for more information on why that is.
Devers arrived at Spring Training on February 12th and took his first at bat against live pitching on March 15th. He never once took fielding practice in spring training. Not even at 3B. Because he wasn’t healthy enough to do so.
Devers never took a swing all offseason because of his injured shoulders. An injury that forced him to the IL prior to the end of the 2024 season.
“Devers dealt with right shoulder soreness all of 2024 and injured his left shoulder on a diving play in Colorado just after the All-Star break. That second injury led to prolonged offensive struggles before the Red Sox ended Devers’ season early by placing him on the injured list.”
NESN and MassLive have several articles about Devers delaying his 1st appearance in spring training at SH.
From March 11th – “Devers was supposed to see his first game action in Fort Myers, Fla., either Tuesday or Wednesday, but the three-time All-Star won’t suit up until Saturday. Boston is erring on the side of caution with Devers, who continues to recover from sore shoulders.”
Cora also noted Devers didn’t do any swinging over the course of the winter, as the main objective for that time period was to “get his shoulders right.”
Feb 16th – “Devers, who didn’t do any baseball activity over the winter as he let his shoulders heal, will be behind other position players as camp gets fully underway. He hasn’t been throwing yet.”
Out- Nice narrative building. You should be a politician.
I build large buildings for a living. You start with a firm foundation.
Out – you are absolutely correct on every point. Some people need to expand their media outlets.
JohnJaso- spot on! Thanks for taking the time to write all that, I didn’t think it was worth my time to respond.
John – Maybe you’re not Joel like others have said? I’m liking what you’re writing, which makes me think you’re not him. LOL
Yup, the Sox org. has a history of trashing its former players and personnel and the gullible just swallow it up as gospel.
He may be the most overrated player in the game. In 2025, he logged 18 home runs, 61 RBI, 1 stolen base and hit .273. Oh, and he was injured for a long stretch too.
The dude is not young. Has been in the league 10 years and his near-MVP years were light years ago, in 2018 and 2019.
There is NO WAY I would sign him for the deal he is looking for. Trust me, he’ll be the next terrible contract is some team gives him more than 4 years.
Therealeman is spot on!! Sox need to go young and stay away from older players who sit on the bench for 45days with a leg cramp!
yay time to again play “Who Will Overpay For A Cheater?”
next Mets overpay
I wish borass and bregman nothing but the worst of luck
He is a good ballplayer and a right handed bat. Let’s see if it works out.
I’m wondering about Alonso but seven years?
Well, no surprise. Everyone knew he would opt out unless he had a serious injury. I think he resigns with Boston for 5/150. I could also see Detroit making a run at him. As a Cubs fan. I would’ve loved to seen him in Wrigley this past season. But, they’re gonna hope Shaw progresses with the bat.
Just a point. When a contract is 2/80 it means the amount paid for the work. I see people posting that it means (due to AAV) 2/60 so somehow it magically became 2/60. No. The contract isn’t technically 2/80 or 2/60 anyway because of deferred money over several future years. What matters is that he was going to be paid a TOTAL of 80 for 2 years of work over a predetermined set of time. The dollars are what they are for the work provided over the time stated. That is a long explanation to say how the money doesn’t disappear magically from either sides responsibilities.
It does disappear. It’s like SSI. If you were to get $50k/year for 20 years, it doesn’t mean that is worth $1M today. The time value of money always needs to be considered.
$40 million was an overpay even though he had his best season in years. Tough, gritty guy – no question. Tough, greedy guy- no question.
As a Red Sox fan all I can say is….BYE 👋 we have Mayers to take your spot….hopefully the Red Sox don’t cave to his ridiculous contract demands. Bregman’s disappeared after he came back from the IL and he wasn’t a major contributor…so don’t let the door hit ya on the way out there Alex
Mayer is hurt every year even with youth on his side. That is concerning to ink him in as a reliable replacement.
Well that has been the case but this season was a fluke injury, he should be ready for the starting job come spring
Best wishes-some players are just injury prone. His track record would suggest staying healthy for a season is the outlier.
IMO, that’s the biggest issue. Starting a rookie with maybe a .700 OPS and a decent+ glove is a slamdunk for me.
Starting someone on the IL a lot makes them difficult to manage.
Hot Flash:
Phillies sign Bregman, move Bohm to 1B and Harper back to the OF. Unfortunately, that would mean Kyle Schwarber will be playing elsewhere in 2026.
With Harper in the OF, Phils will trade Castellanos for whatever they can get. Natch, will have to eat significant money to move him.
J.T. returns on a three-year deal worth about $40 million or so.
Love him, but don’t see Phils paying big bucks to keep Ranger Suarez.
I think Phils trade Marsh and go with a platoon of Crawford/Bader in CF.
Should get Wheeler back by mid-May.
All and all, lookin’ good for the Fightins.
Barf. Bregman is old and overrated. That would be repeating the same mistakes.
How many position players have a 4.2 bWAR average over the past 3 seasons? Where does Bregman rank among 3B?
Since you won’t take the time to look it up here are the answers.
22
2nd
Hard to be overrated when you are the 2nd best 3B in baseball over the past 3 years and in the top 25 overall.
Not worth 40 mil a year.
Devers is not a superstar. He’s a good player, nothing more.
And you forgot the part about us making the playoffs because of Bregman.
I will admit I was initially wrong about Bregman opting out. I thought he would not. I hope they can come to an agreement on a reasonable contract. The Sox are better with Bregman.
Just heard Varitek on weei, sounds like he is going to return.
cdc – I know you’re a huge fan of Bregman, but don’t you remember how greedy he was last offseason? That’s the reason why he didn’t make a decision until right before ST, he kept holding out for every possible dollar.
He is not gonna give the Red Sox any type of deal, he will demand an overpay.
FPG
I believe the $40 million is deferred and it comes out to approximately $30million ,that $$ is not counted as AAV. Correct???. But he is still going to get that money , right..?..?. It’s just several years down the line. Right..??.. Coming off this season, would the Sox offer him a 2 year contract for $80 million with deferred money.?. Would any team??.. I don’t think so, but I’m not sure. This is why I originally didn’t think he would opt out. I believe he still has several excellent years ahead of him in his career. Will a 5 year deal at approximately $160m get it done..?. I don’t think you can go any more than that. Thoughts …..
CDC – I’m glad you asked!
Yes he is making a smidge over $30M annually NPV with the Sox, and that’s the amount that counts toward the CBT.
The Tigers offered him $150M/6yrs NPV which comes out to $25M … and that is EXACTLY how much I’d give him, $25M annually except I wouldn’t go more than 4 years.
I would hope the Sox wouldn’t offer him the same AAV over 2 years coming off this season, but who knows.
Yes I believe he would possibly take $160M/5yrs with no deferrals. But I wouldn’t be surprised if some desperate team offers him a little more.
FPG
Forgive my ignorance… The Sox still owe him approx. $10 m. for this past season.. ?.. am I wrong in thinking this ..?..
Who do you go with at third if they don’t Bregman back it’s a weak free agent third baseman class?
CDC – No worries, I’m gonna be super precise here.
They owe him $11.676,978 which has to be placed in escrow by July 1, 2027.
He then receives $666,666,67 in 2035
$1,333,333.33 in 2036
$2M annually from 2037-2044
$1,333,333.33 in 2045
$666,666.67 in 2046
Where else are you gonna get data like that? ;O)
Bruin – There’s only one available player who would fill the Red Sox need for a 3B and righthanded power …. Suarez.
I know he strikes out a lot, and he’s at best an average fielder.
But when you hit 50 homers in a season, the other stuff doesn’t matter.
FPG
I’m sure you saw the MLBTR post ‘should the Tigers trade Skubal ‘… What ever it takes should be the Sox response….. The toughest decision would be be ‘who starts opening day ‘…
Don’t think it will happen , but hey crazier things happen
CDC – Think big!!!
CDC – What are your thoughts on Breggy not even being nominated for a Gold Glove?
FPG
Hmm. Maybe his early season defense,and the fact he missed so many games…. Though I remember Rafael Palmeiro winning a GG at 1stbase and I think he played approximately 30 games,which is just absurd.. No doubt our defense at 3rdbase was much improved this year,I’m sure you agree with that assessment. Kind of amazing how many good defensive players we have and how bad we were defensively. You know I’m a fan,and his defensive skills are just one of the reasons I hope the Sox can resign him. Kind of odd but as I have gotten older the more I appreciate good defense as opposed to when I was younger , offense was all important. Great defense can save , help starting pitching ( any pitching )from having to go into more troubling situations and having to face more desperate situations.
CDC – Of course 3B defense was improved. After Breggy’s early season struggles I thought he was very solid defensively.
I don’t think games played was a factor in his not getting nominated. After all, Abreu started only 95 games in RF and he got a nomination.
I still think good offense contributes more than good defense. That’s because most defensive plays are routine, and sometimes a defensive player can have very few fielding opportunities in a game whereas hitters always have at least 3 PA’s and usually 4 or 5 PA’s.
The best defensive players have DRS of 15-22, correct? While the best offensive players have a wRC+ of 50-104 above league average.
FPG
Another thought on Skubal, what type of contract is he going to demand?. If the Sox give up a boat load of talent to acquire him ,you must sign to a deal. He is going to ask for approx. $450 m. for 10 years. ( more than Yamamoto) . I don’t think the Sox will do that. I don’t think the Sox should do that. Do you ? So risky .
CDC – I think he’ll get $382M. which will be NPV with some deferrals.
He’s not getting $45M annually. LOL
Hey the Red Sox offered $600M to Soto, so $382M would be a bargain. I say do it, they can afford the risk. The window is now. $38M annually wouldn’t be that big a deal if he’s hurt a year or two. He could be the next Scherzer or Verlander, well worth the risk thru Age 38.
FPG
He will definitely ask for it. Lol. Can they trade for him without assurances of him signing a contract?. He will sign the biggest contract ever handed out to a pitcher. Some team ( San Fran, Mets) will offer him a 10+ year deal for over $400m. I just don’t see the Sox making that type of commitment. Do you ? Believe me , I would love to see the Sox pair him with Crochet as the best 1-2 punch in the league. It might just be for the 2nd half of next season, if the Sox where to trade for him at the deadline. ( Tigers not in the race next year). Those type of contracts never seem to go well. So many things need to happen for that to be the situation. Fun to think about.
cdc – Well sure Boras will ask for at least $400M, always ask for more than what you are willing to settle for.
No, I don’t see the Sox winning a bidding war with the Mets.
If he gets traded I think it’s gonna be this offseason, and I think contingent on an extension.
Sure a lot could go wrong, the risk comes with going after proven star pitchers.
FPG
Are you OK with the Sox giving him an 8/10 year deal?? With The way the tax is ,it would put a big restraint on how they would go after additional free agents . I’m not against it..I have trouble seeing it happening..
cdc – Think of it this way …. they just spent $42M this year on Buehler & Giolito.
If you could have Skubal & Early replacing both those guys, it would be a wash in salary …. might even be less.
The way the Sox keep wasting money on lottery tickets, I’d rather they spend it on a proven commodity. No more Giolitos, Buehlers, Liams, Sandovals, Paxtons, etc.
FPG
I agree with you….. some what. cause it would be $42m times 9… Hey , like I said, if you could pair Skubal & Crochet,I’m all for it .Time for Henry to open the wallet……
Good gamble by Bregman, and this works for the Red Sox. He will get his money, and the Red Sox will get salary relief for what’s going to be an overpay….Bregman was basically an average hitter the second half of the season–
It’s going to be interesting to see how this plays itself out.
He’s definitely rolling the dice here
ptp – Never underestimate the stupidity of MLB owners.
I guess he didn’t like Boston too much, but he sure talked like he did!
Fenway was very good to him. Other than Houston, I don’t think he’ll be able to put up the same kind of numbers elsewhere
Dear Phillies,
Don’t even think about it.
If they pick up all the team options, the Phillies have about $80 million plus whatever relief they get from trading Castellanos coming off the books. Mutual options are normally declined by one side or the other so they are included as coming off the books. Add another $7.7 million to that when you include a non-tender for Bohm. Not sure how it works with Buehler. I think they signed him to a minor league deal and the Red Sox are on the hook for his 2026 mutual option. He is probably a free agent.
The Phillies need a DH, 3B, C, 2 OF, and 2 SP. Bregman would be a solid start to filling all the holes in that roster.
My take
Re-sign Schwarber
Sign Bregman or Sign Bellinger
Bring Bader back at something like 2/15-16, even 3/22.5-24
Add Abel and Painter to the rotation. Possibly Cabrera.
Crawford looked like he was ready in AAA this season and could fill one of the holes in the OF. Can’t be worse than Castellanos.
Not sure about who to sign or trade for at catcher, but give Realmuto a QO and let him walk.
With $8 million penciled in for a catcher that puts their payroll at about $20 million less than 2025.
What do I know? I am an Angels fan. LOL.
I strongly agree about Schwarber and Bader.
I’d still prefer they keep Bohm, that may not be rational, but hey, I’m a Philly fan. I neither like nor trust Bregman, that’s just how I feel. If they sign him I’ll root for him, but I just don’t want him.
I agree that they need to give Crawford and Painter a shot. It’s been a while since the Phils have developed a major league star, it’s time to see if they can.
Bellinger is an interesting possibility.
One point, Abel’s not in Philly anymore. He went to Minnesota as part of the Duran deal.
No surprise here for BoSox or Bregman. Both knew the upside and downside of last contract for each. Bregman’s only 31. He’s earned the right to try for a longer term deal and the larger amount of guaranteed money that goes with it. Good for him. Boston started planning for this the day after contract was signed. And they got their 2025 cost returned on the field and in the wallet. If Bregman had played poorly or had long-term injury and didn’t opt out, would that have been better for Boston at 3b or financially?
6/200. To heck with it.
He’s earned the right to try FA. That said, I believe the sox will make him an offer he can refuse. He’ll walk because they’ll allow it. Screaming all the while they made him a fair offer.
Matz was a trade deadline acquisition, so the Red Sox only paid a little more than $4M of his salary to count as coming off the books.
Sign Suarez and Alonso and add a SP, or two and reliever
It would’ve been more telling if Bregman stayed. The fact this was always going to be a rebuild of his value in a favorable park has not lost its truth. It rings even truer now.
It also doesn’t impact the Sox because they got exactly what they needed from signing him — dumping Devers contract with a big chunk of the fan base backing it.
The Red Sox are going to use this new money to find another starting pitcher to pair with Crochet and whomever of the younger starters pans out. They’ll get another 3B like a Suarez who’ll be just good enough for his cost.
I assume the Cubs were happy how Shaw ended the year. One less bidder for Bergman.
Kind of happy about this. He didn’t play like a $40M player. Can spend the money elsewhere.
Each November 7th we have a big board where we position only the players we control without making any trades or free agent signings. For this year’s board, we would be exercising our club option on Trevor if he ops out. Then we look at that board and see which free agents and trades would be an upgrade. It’s that simple.
2026 Board (no transactions)
1b Casas or Lowe
2b Rafaela
SS Mayer
3b Story
LF Anthony
CF Duran
RF Abreau
DH Yoshida
Bench Hamilton, Gonzalez, Campbell, Wong
SP Crochet, Bello, Early, Crawford, Sandoval
Pen Harrison, Hicks, Kelly, Bernardino, Weissert, Slaten, Whitlock, Chapman
Depth Tolle, Fitts, Criswell, Perales, Sandlin, Drohan, Uberstine, Guerrero, Winckowski, Murphy, Moran, Isaiah Campbell
Minors Grissom, Garcia
NOT GOING TO THE TIGERS! NO, HARD NO!
How many beers does $40M buy?
Errr…
How many beer houses does $40M buy?
Err….
How many breweries does $40M buy?
No. I am not angry.
Wild. It’s been 6 years since he posted a bWAR of 5 or higher. Why would anyone pay him like an elite player at this stage of his career?