The Chicago Cubs signed former Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman to a bad contract tonight: five years, $175 million with no opt-outs.
The Great Bregman Saga, which has consumed two consecutive offseasons for the Red Sox, is now over. The final line reads: 114 G, 18 HR, .273/.360./462, 3.5 bWAR, $40 million, 1 postseason appearance, and -1 homegrown World Series Champion third baseman who put up the 17th-best wRC+ in all of baseball last season.
Alex Bregman’s contract will not age well. It may start looking bad as early as this season. He will be 32-years-old next year. He has frequently been injured. He put up two superstar seasons six years ago (when he was, um, cheating) and has been merely pretty good ever since. Over the last three years his bWAR has fallen from 4.9 to 4.1 to 3.5 — it’s not hard to predict where that number is going next.
So, I repeat: the Chicago Cubs signed former Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman to a bad contract tonight.
But here’s the problem for the Boston Red Sox: good players — not good contracts — win baseball games. And now, thanks to Fenway Sports Group’s religious quest for total contract efficiency, two good players who were on the Red Sox on opening day in 2025 are no longer on the team today.
Are there any other good players still out there to replace them? I mean, sure. There’s a whole universe of baseball players. But if you think this front office will put in a winning bid for either Bo Bichette or Kyle Tucker, then I’ve got a NESN360 subscription to sell you. Forget about big market free agency. We’re looking at trades that may further eat into the organization’s prospect depth (Isaac Paredes?). We’re looking at short-term deals for aging and defensively questionable veterans (Eugenio Suarez?). We’re looking at moving the best defensive centerfielder in baseball to the infield and kicking the can on trading an outfielder down the road once again.
Rafael Devers is gone. Alex Bregman is gone. And the Red Sox have some work to do.
But they also have one less bad contract to worry about. Light up the Cuban, John.
