The posturing and negotiations dragged on until the brink of spring training, but at long last, the Red Sox added the right-handed power bat the roster so badly needed this week, giving infielder Alex Bregman a three-year, $120 million contract with opt-outs.
It’s a big up-front payment for the Red Sox, but the deal does allow them flexibility going forward. Bregman has spent much of his career as a third baseman, but will play second base in Boston. If he chooses to opt out and pursue a long-term deal next offseason, the Red Sox will still have young prospect Kristian Cambpell, who is primed to land an infield spot in the next year or two.
But the deal probably spells the end of the tenure of second baseman Vaughn Grissom, who was the chief prize in last year’s Chris Sale trade. While Sale went on to win the National League’s Cy Young Award in Atlanta, Grissom was injured in April and again in June, and hit just .190 when he was healthy.
New Red Sox second baseman Alex Bregman
Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
As the Boston Globe noted last summer, “To date, the Chris Sale-Vaughn Grissom trade has been a bust for Red Sox, but injuries have a lot to do with that.”
At 24 years old, Grissom is still largely and unknown. But with Bregman coming in, it looks like Grissom is a longshot to have a role with the 2025 Red Sox.
On “The Fenway Rundown” podcast, veteran MassLive beat reporter Sean McAdam and compatriot Chris Cotillo struggled to find a spot for Grissom. David Hamilton, who can also play shortstop and outfield, is likely to stick as a utility man, McAdam speculated.
But Grissom?
“Grissom is the big loser here,” McAdam said. “A guy who, a year ago at this time, was viewed as the second baseman of the future. They were willing to give him that job. He came in, got hurt in spring training. Came into spring training a little banged up. Never recovered, and it was really a lost year for him. And it’s hard now to see what future he has with the organization. …
“There isn’t a place for Grissom.”
He could yet be traded, though it is doubtful the Red Sox would get much in return for him.
