Red Sox president/CEO Sam Kennedy spoke with reporters (including the Boston Globe’s Tim Healey and MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) today at the team’s Spring Training camp, while Sox chairman Tom Werner also took part in an interview with the Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham. The two executives covered many of the same topics, with much of the focus naturally centered around Boston’s offseason.
One of the matters discussed was Alex Bregman’s decision to leave Fenway Park and sign with the Cubs for a five-year, $175MM contract. Reports indicated that the Sox offered Bregman a five-year, $165MM contract that (like Chicago’s offer) included a lot of deferred money, though Boston’s deferral plan covered multiple decades. The bigger issue seemed to be Bregman’s insistence on a full no-trade clause, which the Cubs were willing to give but Boston wasn’t, apparently due to an organizational policy.
Werner and Kennedy each pushed back on these reports, with Werner flatly saying that the Red Sox “don’t” have any policy against no-trade protection. Kennedy was more circumspect in saying that “we try not to talk about organizational policies and the finer points of negotiations because it just doesn’t serve you well if you do that,” but also said that “if Alex Bregman wanted to be here, ultimately he’d be here.” Kennedy also essentially ducked the question of whether or not the Red Sox would’ve offered Bregman a no-trade clause if asked, saying “it’s theoretical. It’s hard to know.”
More than the no-trade clause or “the fact that he was offered a bit more money in Chicago,” Werner felt Bregman was “happy to be in Arizona [for Spring Training] where his family is. I have enormous respect for Alex, but it wasn’t meant to be and we moved on.” Likewise, Kennedy praised Bregman’s contributions over his one season in Boston, and said “he chose a different path, and we wish him well.”
These statements probably won’t do much to soothe Red Sox fans still upset that Bregman is playing elsewhere, after the third baseman’s leadership and on-field production (at least prior to a right quad strain) was so widely acknowledged as a key factor in Boston’s return to the postseason. Signing Bregman last winter to take over at third base also sparked the chain reaction of events that led to Rafael Devers being traded to the Giants last June, following a lot of hard feelings from Devers over first being pushed off the hot corner into a DH role, and then being asked to learn first base once Tristan Casas went down with what ended up being a season-ending knee injury.
Kennedy expressed regrets over how the Devers situation played out, saying better communication was needed between both sides, and that “Would we have done things differently leading into it? Absolutely.” Werner’s statement (his public comments since Devers was dealt) may again spark more controversy, as while Werner said that Devers is “a wonderful person,” the chairman found it “extremely discouraging” that Devers wasn’t willing to take over at first base.
“It was a discouraging episode. Just pick up a glove,” Werner said.
While the Devers trade and Bregman’s departure may be talking points in Boston for years to come, the Red Sox are more concerned with how the team will fare in 2026. Trades (for the likes of Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray, Johan Oviedo, and Caleb Durbin) have been a big part of the team’s roster remodel, and the Sox made a big free agent strike by signing Ranger Suarez to a five-year, $130MM contract.
Kennedy described the winter as “a successful offseason…long, arduous, lots of scenario planning, but excited that we improved the club in many ways.” Werner was similarly positive, pointing to the team’s improvements on defense and a pitching staff that “I think…is elite.” In regards to further upgrades at the trade deadline, Werner said the team is still open to more spending, saying “we actually have the powder to execute some more moves during the season.”
After completing the 2025 season with a roughly a $208.9MM payroll and a $246.5MM luxury tax number, the Red Sox are projected (via RosterResource) for $195.5MM in payroll and a $263.7MM tax figure. The latter puts the Sox just a hair under the second luxury tax penalty threshold of $264MM, so it would seem like Boston will probably finish in the second tier of tax penalization for the first time since the 2019 season, assuming the team indeed contends and bolsters the roster throughout the year.
They gave devers away for NOTHING
Just like mookie
If roman anthony sneezes the wrong way sox will trade him for comp pick & 12 pack of bud light
It was a great deal for them too.
Bad defenders, baserunners and teammates aren’t as hard to replace as you might think. Seemingly, the RSox got better almost immediately after trading Rafael Devers.
You’re forgetting that, for just Mookie Betts & David Price, they got all of Jeter Downs, Alex Verdugo and Connor Wong.
and for just the greatest ball player that ever lived, they got to fund a broadway musical called “no no nanette”
bing – What did they get for a pitcher who immediately won the Cy Young and Triple Crown after they dumped some of his contract?
The main return for Mookie Betts was the $48M the Dodgers took on which was half of David Price’s remaining contract. When you take on that much money, the player return is less. I have typed this so many times here, my autocorrect practically types it for me.
Who hurt you?
Mookie didn’t want to be there and Price didn’t fit. Devers was addition by subtraction as the Sox immediately got better and the Giants got worse after the trade
bing – I’ve already said a few times Roman probably won’t finish his current contract with the Red Sox.
What an arrogant organization. Further proof:
“If Alex Bregman wanted to be here, ultimately he’d be here.”
I’m no Bregman fanboy, but for Kennedy to CONTINUE saying players who left did so because they “didn’t want to be here” is incredibly arrogant. Just the usual crapping on players after they are out the door.
FPG- are you Jarred Carrabis? Claim to be a Sox fan but never have anything good to say about them.
You sign a contract.You sign where you want to play.If he wanted to be in Boston,he could say i will sign for this.No player does but it is the player and not the agent that signs the contract.
Don’t read to much into after the fact spin mode. Truth be told, given the team’s reluctance to spend in accordance with their revenue, I’m glad neither Bregman nor Devers are with the club although it could hurt in 26. As for continuing to spend, such only happens if/when Sandoval, Bello and/or Yoshida are traded. I don’t see them crossing the next threshold and remaining there at season’s end.
There is absolutely NO REASON to trade Bello…. his contract is a bargain for young starting pitching.
I wouldn’t say nothing. His contract was massive. Shedding that alone counts as something .He’s a dynamic hitter who can’t field and is a selfish player. The return was disappointing though for sure
dont wanna sound like a broken record but the tm totally, completely, unquestionably, undeniably and unequivocally mishandled and downright f’ed up the situation with devers. both parties to blame. 1 got shipped across country to the worst hitters park, the other’s down a HOFer in his prime. no winners. only losers. but the tm is just as responsible for this as devers.
What HOFer?
pzacc – Pretty sure he’s talking about the 29-year-old who already has 235 homeruns and a career .855 OPS
What I want to know is what the hell is “TM”?
It’s pretty clear that the Red Sox wanted to get rid of Devers and they used the situation to create a scenario where unloading him wouldn’t have as much backlash. It was always clear how Devers was going to react, and they let it happen, there’s no chance they were taken by surprise.
So there’s nobody to ‘blame’. The Red Sox just didn’t want the player.
That’s abit of a conspiratorial take, I doubt anyone expect Devers to throw a fit when asked to play 1B
Devers already got his big payday. He had nothing to lose by playing 1B.
They are going to sell the team in the next 5 years.
What – No, not until The Corners is done. That is when maximum sale value will be achieved.
Devers is now the property of the Giants. both Werner and Kennedy should keep their mouths shut. period
He is an employee not property there Massa.
Thank you for taking Devers!
Fans are upset bregman’s gone??? lmao
ghost – He served his purpose, he helped the Red Sox got out from under Raffy’s contract … which was ownership’s #1 goal.
Fever- so very true
Sam Kennedy’s corporate personality makes Breslow look like a game show host. In the words of Hawkeye Pierce, “the dullness rubs off.”
This fits in the sad world we today live in; in the words of Frank Burns: “Unless we each conform, unless we obey orders, unless we follow our leaders blindly, there is no possible way we can remain free.”
Dewey: that’s two things we share in common – a deep respect for both Dwight Evans and the ageless nature of M.A.S.H. “Never let it be said I didn’t do the least I could do” – Hawkeye.
It’s nice to be nice to the nice.
Really don’t care of yesterdays news.It’s like what can you do this year.
Sox improved on pitching and defence which is awesome.
Only thing they didn’t improve on was hitting the ball out of the park
Look forward to what they have and getting a full year from Anthony and Abreu with the new additions will be exciting to watch.
Agreed. I am excited about the current team and not thinking about Devers and Bregman.