Report: Red Sox Sign 2-Time All-Star Alex Bregman To Game-Changing $120 Million Deal

It actually happened...

Aug 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (2) hits a single against the Boston Red Sox during the fifth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

New Englanders' confidence was all over the place all winter long. But the Boston Red Sox finally made the major move most were begging for for over a month.

The Red Sox needed a right-handed bat. No, they desperately needed one. Their offense was already far too left-handed in 2024, then they saw their best righty, Tyler O'Neill, sign with the Baltimore Orioles.

On Wednesday night, the Red Sox landed the best remaining righty on the market. And in doing so, they may have vaulted themselves into a much higher tier of 2025 playoff contention.

The Red Sox and two-time All-Star Alex Bregman, the longtime third baseman of the Houston Astros, are in agreement on a three-year, $120 million contract that includes opt-outs after both of the first two seasons. Chandler Rome of The Athletic was the first to report the news of the signing.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the deal includes deferred money. The $40 million annual salary is also reportedly $10 million more than other teams were offering, so it seems Boston wanted nothing left to chance.

Last season, Bregman managed a .768 OPS and 26 home runs despite a dreadfully slow start to the year. He's a career .277/.366/.483 hitter, good for a 132 OPS+. And with 39.6 WAR by age 31, he's on a potential Hall of Fame track if he keeps up his career averages.

Bregman, who played for Red Sox manager Alex Cora when he was the Astros' bench coach in 2016 and 2017, will presumably take over as the starting second baseman in Boston for 2025. That position had been up for grabs entering camp, with Vaughn Grissom and top prospect Kristian Campbell as the main contenders.

In his nine-year career, Bregman has only played nine games at second base. But Cora said earlier this offseason that he always envisioned Bregman as a potential Gold Glover at the position--it's just that the Astros had superstar José Altuve playing there already.

Even if Bregman is only in Boston for one year, it's hard to look at this signing as anything but overwhelmingly positive. It shows that the Red Sox are going all-in on the 2025 season, it weakens the Astros, and it allows Campbell to get more seasoning in the minors, if he doesn't somehow win a starting job in the outfield instead.

If Red Sox fans weren't enthused about the start of spring training when the sun went down, they sure will be by the time it comes back up.

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