Alex Bregman Looks Forward To A Second Chance At Free Agency

Boston Red Sox’s Alex Bregman celebrates as he returns to the dugout after hitting a three-run home run against the Minnesota Twins during the fifth inning of a baseball game Monday, July 28, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Craig Lassig)

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Alex Bregman didn’t get the contract he wanted when he became a free agent for the first time last offseason. Now it looks like he’ll take another crack at it. The Boston Globe’s Tim Healy reports that he will table extension talks with the Boston Red Sox until after the season.

Bregman has had a resurgent year with the Red Sox. He’s hitting .298/.380/.531 with 14 home runs, and his batting average is above his previous career-best of .296. He was also named an All-Star for the third time in his career this year. Barring something unexpected, he is certain to opt out of the remaining two years of his contract and become a free agent following the season.

After nine successful years with the Houston Astros, in which he accumulated 39.6 WAR (Baseball-Reference version), was a two-time All-Star, and won Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Awards, Bregman turned down a six-year, $156 million offer to stay in Houston. He remained on the market until February 15, when he signed a three-year, $120 million deal with Boston that includes opt-outs after each year of the deal.

While it was understandable that he would want to cash in as one of the game’s top third basemen, especially after an early-career extension that delayed his free agency proved costly, the 31-year-old was coming off one of his worst offensive campaigns a year ago. He hit .260/.315/.453 in 2024 with a 116 OPS+, indicating his offense was 16% above the league average. His walk rate mysteriously plummeted from 12.7% to 6.9%, which caused his on-base percentage to take a hit.

His numbers are much better a year later, which should theoretically give him better standing in free agency to land the long-term deal he seeks. However, he will still have some detractors. He will turn 32 in March, and it’s rare for players to sign lengthy contracts at that age. MLB Trade Rumors recently ranked him the third-best player available in their free agent power rankings, but noted that the only three players ages 32 or older to sign a five-year deal in the last decade are Lorenzo Cain, Freddie Freeman, and DJ LeMahieu.

Another knock against him is that some of his power is a product of his home ballparks. The Astros and Red Sox play in two of the friendliest stadiums for right-handed power hitters. Bregman has slightly above-average exit velocity metrics, but he gets the most out of his power by being a dead-pull hitter. A team with a less inviting left-field fence than the Crawford Boxes or the Green Monster won’t get the same production from him at home.

For the Red Sox, retaining Bregman is practically a necessity. His signing set off a series of events that led to them trading away Rafael Devers, who had been the face of the franchise. If they lose Bregman a year later, they will have gone from two exceptional-hitting third basemen down to zero in less than a year.

If Boston wants to avoid that disaster, they will need to make a long-term commitment to Alex Bregman of probably five years or more at a hefty salary. With the numbers he’s putting up this year, he has earned it.