Alex Bregman finally has a new home! For months, there was speculation about where the third baseman would land. The top three teams included former club Houston Astros, the Detroit Tigers, and of course, Boston. But money wasn’t his only demand!
Given his age, none of the teams were up for offering him the security of a longer tenure. Then why did the 30-year-old choose the Red Sox? Because while Boston signed Alex Bregman on a three-year, $120 million deal with two opt-outs, there was another team ready to offer him six years.
Alex Bregman reveals why he chose the Red Sox
The Detroit Tigers had made Alex Bregman an offer before Boston came in and snagged him. It was a $171.5 million six-year contract. Of course, if Bregman had accepted it, he would have gotten less AAV than what he is getting from the Red Sox.
Then what else could the reason be other than money, right? According to the introductory press conference video uploaded by the Red Sox, Bregman sees a winning team in Boston.
“When Scott (Boras) and I started out and started talking about places we may want to go, winning was the most important. So, when they showed their vision on how this organization was going to win now and in the future, that was pretty cool,” Alex Bregman pointed out why he chose the Red Sox.
So it seems like Detroit lacked the winning mentality that the two-time All-Star wanted to see in his future team, among other things.
The Tigers threw down $28.58 million per year for six seasons, while the Red Sox sweetened the deal with $40 million per season for just three years. Reflecting on the most appropriate choice for Bregman, Boston indeed looks like the part. Heavy bucks pour in with the option to hit the free market after a single season. For the Red Sox, it’s a huge win securing the New Mexico native.
The road ahead, however, is very different for the Tigers.
They will now count on Matt Vierling and Jace Jung to help pick things up at third. Vierling, 28, has seen 443 games in his career and is, by and large, a right-handed hitter. Jung, the 24-year-old prospect, has a lot of offensive potential but needs to sharpen his defense. It’s a bit of a gamble, but hey, sometimes that’s how you find hidden gems.
With spring training breathing down the neck and Bregman heading to Boston with a fat contract and a clear path to more riches, the Tigers are left to hope Vierling and Jung can fill some pretty big shoes.
Alex Bregman Issues Confident Take on Future Success With Red Sox in Intro Presser
In this story:
After months of speculation, the Boston Red Sox and ex-Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman have agreed to a three-year, $120 million contract, ending a months-long sweepstakes that also saw the Chicago Cubs and the Detroit Tigers pursue the Gold Glove-winning player.
During his introductory presser on Sunday, Bregman shared a bit more about what motivated him to sign with the club, including the fact he believes this is a “winning organization.”
“I’m a winning player. This is a winning organization,” Bregman told reporters. “Those players are winning players. We have winning coaches here. I plan on winning here after talking with some of the guys over the last two days. I can see that there’s something special here.”
As ESPN’s Jeff Passan notes, such a manner of speaking would seem to suggest Bregman’s intent is to stick around Boston, even though he has opt-outs after each of his first two seasons. It’s also a confident endorsement about what the World Series winner seems to think will be a successful run, a great note on which to start considering the Red Sox have only made the playoffs once in the past six years.
He surely makes a lot of sense in Boston—the front office was able to pay him what he desired and he’ll prove instrumental in shoring up the team’s offense. It’s really a win-win for both parties … but we’ll have to see if they can actually win when the time comes.
Leave a Reply