The Boston Red Sox made a franchise-altering move by trading Rafael Devers. The future of their infield may hang on Alex Bregman's player option.
Bregman signed a three-year, $120 million deal with the Red Sox in the offseason. The team moved Rafael Devers off of third base to make room for Bregman, hurting its relationship with Devers in the process. However, with Devers gone, Bregman could be the team's top priority.
Bregman was slashing ..299/.385/.553 with 11 home runs before his quad injury. He is slated to return soon, and he and his agent, Scott Boras, have mentioned they are open to discussing an extension. Even if the two sides do not come to terms on an extension, Bregman can still remain with the Red Sox long-term, but The Athletic's Jayson Stark revealed that it will have to be through free agency, as Bregman will likely opt out.
"He’s already making $40 million a year in the first year of his free-agent deal with the Red Sox … so nobody has to worry about Bregman’s earning power," wrote Stark. "But he can (and almost certainly will) opt out. And when you combine his 158 OPS+, his in-it-to-win-it intensity and the ripple effects of the Devers trade, he’s in prime position to cash in."
Bregman and his agent both know the Red Sox are desperate to keep Bregman around now. Even if they want to stay in Boston, they may hit free agency just to drive up the price. The Red Sox need an offensive centerpiece, and right now, Bregman is their best option.
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"I’ve been laughing about this for two weeks," one American League executive told Stark, "just thinking about (his agent) Scott Boras’ reaction to the Devers trade with Bregman, because you know he’s sitting there thinking: 'Just give me a blank check, because whatever I want, you guys are going to have to pay me.'"