Alex Bregman’s tumultuous offseason has finally reached its conclusion. And his winding journey through free agency has ended with him finding a new home. Bregman is heading to Boston after agreeing Wednesday on a three-year, $120 million contract with the Red Sox, a source confirmed to Yahoo Sports.
Bregman’s deal will give him an average annual value of $40 million, which ties him for the fourth-highest annual salary in baseball, behind only Juan Soto, Shohei Ohtani and Zack Wheeler. The 30-year-old third baseman was the final major free-agent domino to fall, and his addition puts the cherry on top of a big offseason in Beantown.
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For Bregman, this new deal with Boston closes the door on an extremely successful tenure with the Astros that saw him feature in the team’s return to prominence, with four World Series appearances and two titles over nine seasons. As a franchise cornerstone alongside Jose Altuve, he was one of the pillars of a new age of baseball in Houston.
In his nine seasons with the Astros after being drafted with the No. 2 pick in 2015, Bregman slashed .272/.366/.483 with 191 homers. Last season, he hit .260 with 26 homers. The Red Sox’s aggressive pursuit of Bregman saw them beat out the Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays for the prized free agent.
In Boston, the two-time All-Star will have the opportunity to reunite with his former bench coach and now manager, Alex Cora. Bregman also brings an impressive postseason pedigree to an organization that could benefit from it.
His offensive profile is also a great fit in Boston. After years of hitting with the short porch in Houston, Bregman moves to Fenway Park and the Green Monster in left field — it’s easy to see the Red Sox’s vision for plenty of doubles and pull-side homers. In fact, in 21 career games at Fenway, Bregman is slashing .375/.490/.750 with nine doubles, seven homers and 15 RBI. His 1.240 OPS at Fenway is his highest at any ballpark (minimum 20 games).
The Red Sox came into this offseason looking to be part of the Juan Soto sweepstakes. Since then, they have pivoted and put together one of the more complete lineups in baseball. Bregman’s addition gives Boston the big right-handed bat they’d been seeking since the beginning of the winter, and he can slot in with Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers at the top of the lineup, providing Devers plenty of protection.
Defensively, Bregman has been a third baseman his entire career, but according to reports, he will shift to second base with the Red Sox, allowing Devers to stay at third, at least for the time being. Bregman has appeared at second in his big-league career, but not since 2018.
The Red Sox fan base has grown restless in recent years, with waves of frustration and disappointment following the trade of superstar outfielder Mookie Betts in 2020. Since then, the team’s lack of spending, in addition to the roster’s mediocre performance, made the Red Sox faithful question the organization’s direction.
Boston’s chief baseball officer, Craig Breslow, took his time in his first season at the helm in 2024, but it was clear from the outset of this winter that he and the organization were motivated to get Boston back to baseball relevance. As spring training begins, the Red Sox’s methodical yet productive moves have given them one of the best offseasons in MLB. The additions of ace Garrett Crochet, right-hander Walker Buehler, reliever Aroldis Chapman and now Bregman not only filled needs for Boston but also won’t block the organization’s bounty of young talent and prospects from reaching the big leagues in the near future.
This final offseason move by the Red Sox sends a clear message to the rest of the AL East that this team is going to have something to say about the division crown in 2025. The Yankees remain the team to beat until someone takes that title from them, but the Red Sox have done plenty to put themselves in the conversation. And with a rather disappointing offseason from the Baltimore Orioles, Boston’s winter has set a new tone for what should be a competitive division.
