5 things to know about new Red Sox infielder Alex Bregman
Alex Bregman has batted .375 with seven home runs and 15 RBI over 21 games at Fenway Park.
With pitchers and catchers already present and accounted for in Fort Myers, the Red Sox finally made their move to acquire some pop at the plate.
According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, the Red Sox have signed veteran infielder Alex Bregman to a three-year, $120 million contract — with the deal including a pair of opt-outs after both the 2025 and 2026 seasons. Bregman’s $40 million average annual value stands as the largest handed out in Red Sox history.
Wednesday’s reported signing ends an offseason full of rumors and reports linking Bregman to the Red Sox — who have been in pursuit of a right-handed slugger to round out their lineup for the 2025 season.
The current structure of Bregman’s deal offers flexibility for both player and team — allowing Boston to avoid commiting long-term with prospects already knocking on the door, while also giving Bregman the opportunity to hit the open market yet again if he peppers the Green Monster over the next two summers.
But for 2025, the presence of a veteran with a championship pedigree like Bregman should provide a significant boost to a Red Sox team looking to make the postseason for the first time since 2021.
Here’s five things you need to know about Boston’s latest signing.
He was a foundational piece of the Astros’ decade-long run of dominance.
The Houston Astros have been one of the most successful franchises in baseball over the past decade — winning two World Series titles (2017, 2022), capturing another two AL pennants (2019, 2021) and posting four 100-win campaigns since the start of the 2016 campaign.
It should come as little surprise that Bregman has been around for that entire run with Houston — serving as a key cog in the heart of their lineup and an emotional leader in their dugout.
Over his nine seasons in Houston, Bregman won two World Series and earned two All-Star nods while batting .272 with 191 home runs and 663 RBI.
He twice finished in the top five in MVP voting in 2018 and 2019 — serving as the runner-up in the voting behind Mike Trout in 2019. During the 2024 season, Bregman batted .260 with 26 home runs, and 75 RBIs while also winning his first Gold Glove at third base.
Bregman was hindered by a brutal start to the 2024 season — batting just .219 with seven home runs and 26 RBI through the end of May (55 games). But over his final 90 games of the year, Bregman hit .284 with 19 home runs and 49 RBI.
Even though his walk rate dipped in 2024, Bregman’s steady pop at the plate, defensive talents, and his reputation as an experienced playoff performer could come in handy for a young Red Sox team looking to break through and play October baseball.
Among active baseball players, only former Houston teammate Jose Altuve has logged postseason plate appearances than Bregman.
Bregman has crushed pitching at Fenway Park.
Yes, Bregman’s age (he’ll turn 31 on March 30) and his dip in walk rate will raise some concerns as to whether or not he’ll be a worthwhile investment at $40 million per year.
But the Red Sox likely banking on the benefit of Bregman being able to call Fenway Park home for 81 games in 2025.
In his regular-season career in Boston, Bregman has batted .375 with seven homers, nine doubles and 15 RBI, with a .490 on-base percentage and a .750 slugging percentage across 21 games.
A right-handed pull hitter like Bregman should be able to either put plenty of dents into the Green Monster or swat fly balls into those first row of seats in left — with The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reporting that Bregman ranks first among players with at least 75 career plate appearances at Fenway Park in OPS (1.240).
Bregman already has a good rapport with Alex Cora.
Bregman’s decision to settle on a three-year deal with Boston comes as somewhat as a surprise, considering that he reportedly turned down a six-year, $156 million offer from the Astros earlier this winter.
But beyond Boston’s ability to both offer him the highest annual payout and present the opportunity to hit the free-agent market again in 2025 and 2026 — Bregman’s close ties to manager Alex Cora could have also played a factor in his decision to sign with the Red Sox.
Cora has spoken highly of Bregman throughout the offseason, with the Red Sox manager serving as Bregman’s bench coach in Houston during the 2017 season.
“Alex is a good player, man. He’s a complete player,” Cora said of Bregman at the Winter Meetings. “He’s been on winning teams his whole career. Good defender. Offensively, he’s really good. He’s a guy a lot of people are talking about. I do believe he can impact a big league team, a championship-caliber team. He’s that type of player.”
Bregman can play several spots in the infield.
At first glance, Bregman looks like an obvious candidate to replace Rafael Devers at third base in 2025.
Boston’s defense has been an issue for years now, with the 2024 squad leading the AL in errors with 115. Bregman is coming off a Gold Glove season at third, with the veteran recording six defensive runs saved at the hot corner.
Moving Devers to either first base or DH could shore up some of that porous defensive play, while also prompting Boston to make another move involving one of Masataka Yoshida or Triston Casas in order to accommodate Devers’ switch.
But according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Red Sox’ initial plan is to play Bregman at second base — where he has only appeared in nine games at the big-league level.
Even though that might be uncharted territory for Bregman, Cora noted in December that he could make a smooth transition at second base.
“He should be OK,” Cora said. “We actually had that conversation [about playing second] in ‘17. We made some adjustments at third base. Where he was playing, he was feeling uncomfortable. At the end, it paid off for him.
“He’s a Gold Glover defender at third. But I always envisioned him playing in the middle of the diamond. He can adjust. He has the baseball IQ to do that. People might think the double play might be an issue, but I don’t think so. I think he can do whatever.”
If Bregman can continue to play Gold Glove defense at second, both he and Trevor Story should shore up the middle of the infield — while his presence alone will also alleviate some of the pressure off of blue-chip prospect Kristian Campbell, who will be able to develop at his own pace.
Even if Campbell impresses during spring training, the Red Sox could accommodate him elsewhere in the lineup if he breaks camp with the big-league club — potentially in the outfield.
Bregman was initially drafted by the Red Sox.
Bregman carved out a quick path to the big leagues after the Astros picked him second overall in the 2015 MLB Draft following a standout collegiate career at LSU.
But it was Boston who initially drafted Bregman in the 29th round of the 2012 MLB Draft out of high school. After dominating at Albuquerque Academy, Bregman was viewed as a long-term investment by Boston after missing most of his senior season due to injury.
But rather than sign with Boston, Bregman instead honored his commitment to LSU — where his draft stock continued to soar as he dominated against collegiate pitching.
“Not at all,” Bregman told MassLive in 2017 when asked if he considered signing with Boston in 2012. “I told them I wanted to be drafted in the first round or paid like a first-rounder. It never got to that.”
Even though he opted to chart a different course toward the MLB ranks, Bregman reportedly long admired former Red Sox star Dustin Pedroia. Bregman first saw Pedroia play when he and the ASU Sun Devils took on the University of New Mexico when Bregman was serving as a batboy for the Lobos.
“They were winning something like 12-0, he hit a ground ball and dove headfirst into first base,” Bregman said of Pedroia in a 2017 feature by Peter Gammons. “I will never forget that. I always want to be like Dustin Pedroia.”
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