Free agent third baseman Alex Bregman has signed a three-year, $120 million deal with the Boston Red Sox, according to sources. The contract includes two opt-outs and significant deferred money, which gives him a present-day value of around $90 million.
Bregman, who was the biggest free agent remaining on the market, will primarily play second base for the Red Sox after spending most of his career at third base with the Houston Astros. He joins a retooled pitching staff that has acquired Garrett Crochet via trade and signed Walker Buehler and Aroldis Chapman.
The deal is a big-money splash for the Red Sox, who had guaranteed only $52.3 million to free agents this winter, leading to frustration among fans. Boston manager Alex Cora wanted Bregman badly, having previously coached him in Houston.
Bregman has a strong track record at Fenway Park, with a .375 batting average and seven home runs in 21 career games. His career OPS at the park is the best in major league history among players with at least 90 plate appearances.
The deal comes after Bregman’s bat began to come around in June last season, as the Astros jumped the Seattle Mariners to claim their seventh American League West title. He finished the season with a .260 batting average and 26 home runs.
Bregman will turn 31 on March 30 and has previously opted out of his contract with the Astros, allowing them to receive a compensatory pick in this year’s MLB draft. The Red Sox will lose their second-highest pick for signing him and will forfeit $500,000 of international signing bonus pool allocation.
The news was first reported by The Athletic.
Source: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/43819306/sources-alex-bregman-lands-free-agent-deal-red-sox