Alex Bregman, Red Sox finally get together

Alex Bregman and the Boston Red Sox is a partnership that has been a long time coming.

The two sides finally reached an agreement on Wednesday on a three-year, $120M deal that will allow Bregman the chance to opt-out after each season. A portion of that sum will be deferred, bringing the present-day value to $90M over three years (which is important for the team’s collective bargaining tax calculations).

Bregman’s venture into free agency has been a widely discussed topic in recent weeks. As the offseason progressed, it seemed more and more likely that he would be the last of the big free agents remaining on the market. Unlike others, Bregman showed little interest in settling for a short-term deal.

Houston’s interest in retaining their long-time third baseman was sincere and to many the club looked like a logical favorite. Shortly after the offseason began, the Astros reportedly made him a six-year, $158M offer that was allegedly still on the table as recently as last week. It’s unclear whether Bregman or the team ever proposed a different figure.

All along it seemed likely that Bregman would land in one of three places if he didn’t return to Houston: Boston, Detroit, or Chicago. The three clubs were the most heavily connected to the two-time All-Star from the very start.

Detroit’s interest was obvious for several reasons, starting with Tigers manager A.J. Hinch. Hinch managed the Astros from 2015-19, which included Bregman’s first four seasons in the major leagues. The two are reportedly still close, so the appeal of reuniting is obvious.

Bregman also made perfect sense for Detroit’s infield, a group that entered the offseason lacking any real experience outside of Javier Báez. Moreover, the entire group aside from Báez were all left-handed hitters. It was not an ideal way to approach the roster.

One factor in Detroit’s favor was its financial situation. The club is not overloaded with long-term contracts on the books. Entering the offseason only Báez and Colt Keith were signed to guaranteed deals beyond the 2025 season.

Adding Bregman would have addressed several needs, adding a veteran and a right-handed bat. Detroit did sign Gleyber Torres in December to play second, who hits right-handed, but it’s not the same impact that landing Bregman would have had (let alone the impact of adding both).

Chicago’s interest, meanwhile, seemed to make less sense initially. The club entered the offseason with a lineup lacking in holes and a host of young players pushing for an opportunity.

Weeks later, the Cubs traded their incumbent third baseman to Houston as part of the return for Kyle Tucker. The acquisition made the Cubs a better team, but it opened the door for speculation to swirl connecting the team to Bregman. He could slide in easily at third base and he’d add yet another dangerous bat to the lineup. At various points, it even appeared as though the Cubs might just swoop in and get a deal done.

Detroit reportedly offered Bregman a six-year, $171.5M contract. Chicago’s offer was for four years and $120M.

In the end, the allure of Boston was just too strong.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora coached with the Astros in 2017 before landing the Boston job. He and Bregman were close. The pair had a falling out following the Astros sign-stealing scandal but resolved their differences last year, per The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham. Cora had been pushing internally for the club to sign him since the offseason began.

This offseason wasn’t the first time Boston and Bregman were connected, either. Boston drafted Bregman out of high school in 2012, selecting him in the 29th round, but he would follow through on his commitment to LSU.

Three years later, with the draft approaching, the pair were again linked as Bregman was frequently landing with Boston at the No. 7 pick in many mock drafts.

Houston had two of the first five picks in 2013 after failing to sign Brady Aiken the year prior. The compensatory pick at No. 2 they used on Bregman. With pick No. 5 they selected Tucker. Boston used pick No. 7 on Andrew Benintendi.

Some of that persistent interest stems from Bregman’s abilities as a player, but it also goes back even further to his family’s ties to the team. Notably, to Ted Williams.

Bregman and his grandfather were famously close. The elder Bregman attended every one of his high school games. He had served as general counsel for the Washington Senators from the late 1960s until the team was sold and moved to Texas in 1971.

While the two sides may have always been destined to come together, there are still questions about how the pieces fit. Boston didn’t exactly have a gaping hole in their infield that needed to be filled.

It appears the initial plan is to use Bregman at second base. He was a shortstop in college and through the minor leagues, only shifting over to third base because the Astros already had Carlos Correa at short when Bregman was first called up. There’s no reason he can’t handle second base defensively.

Plugging Bregman in at second has repercussions down the roster though, likely blocking quick-rising prospect Kristian Campbell from earning a role in spring training. It will limit the reps Vaughn Grissom will get as the club looks for him to bounce back from his underwhelming first season with the team. It also eliminates an option to move Ceddane Rafaela to if he’s bumped out of the outfield mix.

Eventually, Bregman will see reps at third base which will push Rafael Devers off the position. While defensive metrics are still evolving and are hardly perfect, most suggest Devers is a liability in the field. He puts the work in, but the time will come when the team will need to make a change. Discussions have happened in the past about sliding Devers to first base, but the club never felt they had a suitable replacement at third. Bregman changes that now.

Of course, pushing Devers to first base or even designated hitter impacts others, either bumping Triston Casas or Masataka Yoshida to the bench. Plus you lose any flexibility you have with the DH spot in the lineup with one person locked into the role. Once again, not an ideal roster construction.

Alex Cora is going to have a busy few weeks in spring training sorting out where all the pieces fit together in this lineup.

Bregman turns 31 just before Opening Day. Over his nine-year career, he is a .272/.366/.483 (132 OPS+) hitter with 265 doubles and 191 homers. In addition to the two All-Star game appearances, Bregman has won a Silver Slugger Award, a Gold Glove, and two World Series titles.

In 21 career games at Fenway Park, Bregman has slashed .375/.490/.750 with 16 extra-base hits (9 2B, 7 HR).