Alex Bregman wants to lay down some roots in Boston before he can opt out of his three-year, $120 million deal with the Red Sox after the season. With the franchise off the hook for Rafael Devers’ $254 million after trading him to the San Francisco Giants, they have plenty of money to get it done.
Scott Boras, Bregman’s agent, told The Boston Globe’s Tim Healey that the two-time All-Star is willing to renegotiate his contract to stay in Boston long-term.
“I always tell the team — and Alex directs me to tell them — we’re always open to any conversation,” Boras said. “Any player who plays well somewhere, it’s something that’s important for the team and important for the player. It’s an additive.”
Bregman was Boston’s top hitter before going down with a significant right quad injury last month. He’s expected to be out through the All-Star break, so the earliest he could return would be July 18.
Before the injury, Bregman was slashing .299/.385/.553 with a 159 OPS+, 11 home runs, 17 doubles, 32 runs scored, and a 2.9 bWAR in 51 games. It’s his first season in Boston following nine seasons with the Houston Astros, where he won two World Series.
Boras recently negotiated an in-season extension with another client — Giants third baseman Matt Chapman — last September for six years and $151 million. Chapman had signed a three-year, $54 million deal with opt-outs before the 2024 season.
“Those are questions that only the team can propose,” Boras explained. “I think everybody is focused on the season. But the idea of it is if you have a player playing at a high level where he’s at, that’s important for the team to look at and important for the player to look at.”
Signing Bregman long-term would help ease the concerns of fans who have watched Devers, Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Chris Sale depart over the years.
The Red Sox are currently in a five-game losing streak after getting swept by the Los Angeles Angels. They are 40-42, three games out of the last AL Wild Card spot, and 6.5 games behind the first-place New York Yankees.
