After a lengthy free agency period in the last MLB offseason, former Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman, a three-time All-Star and 2024 Gold Glove winner, signed a three-year contract with the Boston Red Sox, for a total of $120 million. But in reality, the Red Sox gave Bregman a series of three one-year contracts.
That’s because the 31-year-old 2015 No. 2 overall draft pick, with his agent Scott Boras, got the Red Sox to agree to “opt-out” clauses after each of his first two seasons. In other words, if Bregman chooses to become a free agent this year, for the second straight offseason, he may do so.
And that is exactly what most baseball insiders and experts believe that he will do. Following the Red Sox elimination from the postseason, losing their wild card series to the New York Yankees in three games, MLB.com reporter Mark Feisand wrote that Bregman exercising his opt-out clause was “a near certainty” â especially because he is no longer eligible for a “qualifying offer.
If a team extends a qualifying offer to a player, who then declines it to test free agency, the original team gets compensation in the form of additional draft picks if the player signs elsewhere.
‘Good Chance’ Bregman Stays in Boston: Insider
But on Tuesday, one longtime Red Sox insider â Rob Bradford of WEEI.com â reported that, “while murmurs around baseball keep suggesting it will be almost certain that the third baseman opts out of his deal, some in the organization still believe there is a good chance he stays.
Could Bregman actually decide to opt in, rather than out, of the second year of his deal? With an average annual salary of $40 million from the Red Sox Bregman must assess the market and decide whether he can top that amount with another team.
Next year will mark Bregman’s age-32 season, after he played only 114 games in 2025 due to a quadriceps muscle injury â and then slumped badly upon his return. After posting a .938 OPS through May 23 when he suffered the quad injury, he managed just a .735 OPS in August, and a painful .640 in September when the Red Sox needed his bat most as they made their final push for the postseason.
Bregman seems to be heading into the offseason carrying much more value to the Red Sox than he might in the open market due to a season of solid but not eye-popping numbers,” Bradford wrote. In other words, while he is seemingly really important to the construction of the Red Sox, potential suitors looking for a third baseman might not be willing to allocate the years the 31-year-old will be looking for.
Red Sox Favored to Retain Bregman
According to Zach Presnell of SI.com, “there are bound to be a lot of suitors in pursuit of Bregman, but the Red Sox should be considered the favorites.
The Red Sox have the financial resources to retain Bregman. Their shocking trade of Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants on June 15 freed up the remainder of Devers’ 10-year, $313.5 million contract. The Giants agreed to absorb the full amount of his deal.
That deal gives the Red Sox $27 million in 2026 to allocate for Bregman, if they want to entice him to stay in Boston.
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