Another big-name star is set to join the MLB free-agent pool.
Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman plans to opt out of the final two years of his contract and return to the open market, according to multiple reports.
The move was widely expected after Bregman batted .273 with 18 home runs and 62 RBI over 114 games in the first season of a three-year, $120 million deal.
Bregman, 32, signed with Boston in February after nine seasons with the Houston Astros, choosing a shorter-term deal with a higher annual salary and the ability to opt out after every season rather than take a long-term contract elsewhere.
Returning to the Red Sox remains a logical option, considering the righty-swinging Bregman’s pull-heavy swing is tailor-made for Fenway Park’s shallow left field.
Bregman’s agent, Scott Boras, said in August that the infielder was happy with the Red Sox.
“We’re at the point now where you wait until the offseason and see what transpires,” Boras told the Boston radio station WEEI at the time. “Obviously, I think he’s very open about it. He has enjoyed it there. The team has more defined promise than it did a year ago. With free agency, you have to see how things go.”
Bregman was an All-Star last year for the first time since 2019, while his .821 OPS was his highest mark over that stretch. That’s despite Bregman missing seven weeks before the All-Star break with a quad strain.
The Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays both pursued Bregman last offseason and could do so again this winter. Detroit — whose manager, A.J. Hinch, managed Bregman for four seasons in Houston — was reported to offer a six-year, $171.5 million contract last offseason.
Bregman’s tenure in Boston began with controversy, as the incumbent Rafael Devers initially refused to move off of third base.
The Red Sox ultimately traded Devers to the San Francisco Giants in June, clearing about $31 million per year from their payroll while making Bregman’s bat even more important to their lineup.
Boston’s offense struggled during its Wild Card series loss to the Yankees, totaling six runs over the three games. Bregman went 3-for-10 (.300) with a double and an RBI in the series.
“The leadership value to the Red Sox has obviously been huge,” Boras said during that August interview with WEEI. “Houston knew what that was. The Red Sox, when they got chapter and verse for what that meant to them, they have more of a precise nature for what that means with or without the player on the team.”
Bregman is expected to headline a class of free-agent third baseman that also includes Eugenio Suárez, who tied a career high with 49 home runs this season with Seattle and Arizona.
Like Bregman, the 34-year-old Suárez bats right-handed, as does another prominent free-agent-to-be, the Mets’ Pete Alonso, who headlines the options at first base. Alonso, who turns 31 in December, is also represented by Boras.
