Roche: Signing Alex Bregman is a home run for Boston Red Sox
BOSTON -- With reports of Alex Bregman signing a three-year deal with the Red Sox, Thursday is a great day for Boston baseball.
Craig Breslow added a much-needed right-handed bat to the Boston lineup in Bregman, whose deal is reportedly worth $120 million with deferrals and opt-outs after every season. This is an absolute win for the Red Sox organization.
There are a lot of layers to this signing, so let's run through them all.
Signing Bregman is a big win for John Henry
It starts with John Henry. The Red Sox owner has taken a major PR hit (or rather, hits) since trading away Mookie Betts. He's publicly played the role of an absentee owner.
But the annual average value of the Bregman deal (which will pay him $40 million a year) is huge. After not getting Juan Soto or a Max Fried/Corbin Burnes/Blake Snell starting pitcher, it looked like the Sox were going to come up well short of going "full throttle" again this winter.
That changes with signing Bregman, who will have the sixth-highest AAV in baseball this season.
Waiting game pays off for Red Sox, Craig Breslow
Craig Breslow gets a big round of applause for this one - and his entire offseason. The plan has fallen into place.
Bregman and Scott Boras turned down reported deals of six years for $156 million from Houston and six years for $171.5 million from Detroit. Breslow essentially got the two time All-Star to sign a one-, two-, or three-year deal with Boston.
Yes, the AAV is high. But to get Bregman on short term with deferrals is a perfect solution for the Red Sox. It's also the price of doing business with Scott Boras, who always needs to win his negotiations. This is a way of giving him a W, while also being able to grant the wishes of his client.
Which leads us to this conclusion: Alex Bregman really wanted to come to Boston. He's in a "prove it" contract much like we saw Theo Epstein do years ago with Adrian Beltre, and that worked out great for both parites. If Bregman goes out and performs like both he and the Red Sox feel he will, he wins. He can easily opt-in for another $40 million in 2026, or opt out and get a long-term deal at good money elsewhere. He could even rip up his deal and work out a long-term deal in Boston.
Alex Bregman is exactly what the Red Sox need
As a player, Bregman will give the Red Sox all the qualities this team needs. He's a right-handed bat that will slide in nicely to offset the lefty-heavy lineup the Sox have in Jarren Duran, Rafael Devers, Triston Casas, Wilyer Abreu, and Masataka Yoshida. He's a lifetime .375 hitter at Fenway and he pulls the ball. The Green Monster should be extremely kind to him, so you can expect 20-25 home runs and a bunch of doubles -- if the 31-year-old can stay healthy.
In the field, Bregman is fresh off winning his first Gold Glove award in 2024. Yes, it came at third base and I know he's expected to play second base for Boston, but that can transfer. His athleticism, work ethic, and baseball IQ should allow for an easy transition. An infield of Devers-Trevor Story-Bregman-Casas will be just fine defensively.
Bregman also provides depth and options for Alex Cora. He'll provide stability at the Red Sox Black Hole known as second base. He can spell Devers at third, and provide insurance if the injury-prone Story goes down. He also buys time for prospects Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer to develop. The pressure of having to make the big league club out of camp isn't as intense, especially with Campbell. The Red Sox also don't have to move Ceddanne Rafaela from centerfield in case Story goes down.
However it plays out, Cora will work to make it all work.
Red Sox get proven winner in Alex Bregman
The Red Sox also get a proven winner in Bregman, a two-time World Series champ who is a leader with his work ethic, passion for the game, and a competitive fire to win. He's a lot like Dustin Pedroia in many ways.
The younger players can now watch, listen, and learn from a player who has been there, done that.
With the Bregman signing, the additions of Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler, and Devers and the talented youth the Sox have, there's no reason why the Red Sox can't be an AL East contender in 2025.
Boston fans will love having him on the Red Sox. He'll be a Fenway favorite right away. That's good for ticket sales and the game broadcasts alike. There is now an actual buzz around the 2025 Boston Red Sox.
Bregman is the perfect fit for Boston and a breath of fresh air. Now, it's time to just go out, have fun, play the game and compete.
