The Boston Red Sox have been heavily linked to arguably the best offensive player remaining on the open market.
Former Houston Astros All-Star Alex Bregman is out there for the taking in free agency. He has been tied to Boston throughout the offseason so far and clearly has a favorable connection with Boston manager Alex Manager.
But, what could a deal look like?
The biggest deal for an infielder so far this offseason has been Willy Adames’ seven-year, $182 million pact with the San Francisco Giants. It also was reported by MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart that the Astros offered Bregman a six-year deal earlier in the offseason worth roughly $156 million over six years. Clearly, that didn’t work at the time.
Adames is 29 years old and Bregman will be 31 years old at the very beginning of the 2025 season. Because of this, a five or six-year deal seems perfectly fair. Adames got an annual value of $26 million per year over seven years. Bregman is a more accomplished player and World Series champion so his annual value should at least reflect Adames’ or be a tad higher. An annual value of $28 million seems fair in comparison.
A five-year, $140 million deal would reflect a $28 million annual value and be a significant raise over his five-year, $100 million deal he had with Houston. A six-year, $168 million deal could be a sweet spot above what Houston offered earlier in the offseason without having to touch a seventh year.
Spotrac projected his value at four years, $119 million which would be a $29.75 million annual value. The Athletic’s Tim Britton predicted his eventual deal to be for seven years and $189 million, or a $27 million annual value.
There is competition for his services, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see a deal end up higher than Spotrac’s projection, but there isn’t as much leverage with the Astros seemingly out of the sweepstakes. A six-year, $168 million deal with $28 million seems perfectly fair. No matter what, it seems like a six or seven-year deal worth $27-29 million is what it would take to get Bregman.
