The Boston Red Sox have stopped operating like a small market team.
Alex Bregman has stopped asking for $200 million.
The Detroit Tigers stopped adding another year.
The Chicago Cubs have stopped cutting down a year.
The Houston Astros stopped coldly on the track.
Follow all MLB games: Latest MLB scores, statistics, schedules, and rankings.
And like that, two-time World Series champion Bregman was a two-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner, and after spending his entire career with the Astros, he became an infielder for the Red Sox.
Bregman, who dropped his long-term contract request, agreed to a three-year, $120 million deferred contract, including opt-outs after each season. . We spoke only in an anonymous state, as the contract would not be official until Bregman physically passed.
The deal is staggering at an average annual salary of $40 million, and is the price of a Red Sox bargain that tied up Yankees MVP Judge Aaron with the sixth highest AAV in baseball history, but only had three years of commitment. .
After all the hard winters, we only got three teams: the Red Sox, Tigers and Cubs.
The Tigers, who offered Bregman a six-year, $171.5 million contract, could have had him easily if they just raised it and added a seventh year and added a $200 million deal. Not there. They refused.
The Cubs, who jumped into the sweepstakes late, could grab him if they changed their $120 million offer for four years, three years, to $120 million, or five years. It must have been. no.
The Astros, who made the first offer Bregman had received for six years, won $156 million, refused to change it, and removed it from the table.
And the Toronto Blue Jays were used solely as stalker horses and were not involved in bidding at any point.
The Red Sox humiliated everyone from Mookie Betts to John Leicester to Zander Bogart with a low offer, blowing away Trevor Story’s overpayments and landing a man who could get back into the postseason.
It is unclear whether the Red Sox can speak about Rafael Devers. Originally drafted by the Red Sox, who graduated from high school in 2012, Bregman, 30, scored a .375 batting average (80-30) with 1.240 OPS in 21 games at Fenway Park. And nine doubles.
The only player in history with a higher career-on-based percentage in Fenway is Hall of Fame Ted Williams with at least 95 career plate appearances.
“Alex is the champion,” said agent Scott Bolas at the winter meeting in December. “All of these teams are aware of what leader he is, what champion he is, and what level of skill he is.”
The Boston contract reunited with his former bench coach, Red Sox manager Alex Cora in 2017, and snuggled his former manager, Aji Hinch of the Tigers. Hinch managed Bregman from 2016 to 2019 and was fired in the aftermath of Astros’ 2017 fraud scandal.
“He can help any major league team,” Hinch said Wednesday before Bregman’s decision. “A special man.”
Well, maybe the Tigers could return to the Bregman battle if they decide to leave the remaining $80 million with the Red Sox this season, but for now he’s part of the Red Sox. It’s there.
And for now, the Red Sox are once again acting like one of the big boys, becoming a legitimate force in Al-East. They made a winter deal for left-handed ace Garrett Crochet, signing starters Walker Bueller and Patrick Sandoval, and left-handed relievers Arrol Dis Chapman and Justin Wilson.
After cutting back on payroll after becoming the top five teams from 2004 to 2020, the Red Sox simply realized they had to spend to win. They were the last AL East teams last year, 2020, 2022 and 2023, with just .500 teams.
They boasted that they would spend a lot of money over the winter, but spent just $52.3 million. They lost to the New York Mets in Juan Soto’s sweepstakes. They were unable to land the aces Corbin Burnes and Max Fried. And finally, they won a valuable free agent with Bregman, their most profitable free agent signature since the 2022 Shortstop Trevor Story, and a luxurious $241 million tax threshold I pushed my salary beyond.
Now, the Red Sox have finally got the right-handed bats that are badly needed to balance their heavy left-handed lineup. betts and bogaerts.
One of the game’s top farm systems and with ample infield depths with Vaughn Grissom and David Hamilton, Red Sox has valuable trade chips for Dh Masataka Yoshida and first baseman Triston Casas. If the Red Sox trade one of them, Bregman won the Gold Globe Award last season and can play his natural third-based position with the old man sliding to first base or DH.
But for now, they have one of the best infielders in the game and two World Series champions who played each year in the postseason of his career.
“Alex is a perfect player,” Kora said at a winter meeting in December. “He’s a player who won his entire career. A good defender. Offensively, he’s really good. He’s a guy that a lot of people talk about and I’m a big guy he’s a championship caliber team. I believe it can affect league teams.”
That team is currently the Red Sox.
They’re finally back and act again like a real big market team, even a threat to the powerful New York Yankees.
X: Follow NightEngale at @BignyEngale