The MLB Postseason is in full swing with the ALCS and NLCS in mid-series action, but the offseason looms large. Now, there’s newfound clarity on the direction one of baseball’s best third basemen plans to take regarding his future.
Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Alex Bregman plans to opt out of his contract and enter free agency.
Bregman came to the Boston Red Sox last season after an offseason of negotiations between his camp, agent Scott Boras, and several different teams. The allure of competing for the postseason along with an up-and-coming young core ultimately won out (as did the three-years and $120 million) as he ultimately wound up at Fenway. Discussions of the potential to opt out and reenter free agency loomed large during the season, and after an All-Star appearance while slashing .272/.365/.481 with 62 RBI and 18 home runs in 114 games, it’s not shocking to see Bregman decide to test the market.
After an excellent campaign which saw marked improvement from a down year in the prior season, the infielder sees the potential to start a bidding war on the open market. At just 31 years old, Bregman likely has plenty of great baseball ahead of him. What lucky team ends up with him though?
While the most uneventful outcome, the natural assumption is that he very likely ends up back in Boston. The Red Sox have plenty of cash and if the star liked his time with the team, he could negotiate a new long-term deal at a higher number. After all, the team is ascending with young talent and just made the MLB Postseason, though they eventually fell short to the New York Yankees in a winner-take-all the Wild Card series that went to three games. It’s a logical conclusion to see him return if the team is willing to pay up.
However, the Detroit Tigers certainly linger as another option. Bregman’s former manager during his stint with the Houston Astros, A.J. Hinch, manages a Detroit squad which went two rounds deep into the playoffs during each of the last two years. The team did offer Bregman a six-year deal worth $171.5 million on the free-agent market last offseason, and after a quality campaign, there’s little reason to believe that interest no longer lingers. If his goal is to compete for the third World Series of his career, the Tigers are a natural fit and he could put the lineup over the top.
Detroit and Boston feel like the most logical outcomes for Bregman, but per Heyman’s reporting, a couple more teams could also make a play for the third baseman. The Toronto Blue Jays are currently competing in the ALCS and could use another bat, and he could reunite with former teammate George Springer, who he started his career with in Houston. Additionally, even the Seattle Mariners are another possible fit if slugging third baseman Eugenio Suarez doesn’t re-sign there when his contract expires after this postseason run.
Regardless, Bregman is sure to garner plenty of interest on the open market, justifying the decision to sign the short-term deal with opt-out options last winter. Expect him to emerge as a top free agent when negotiations open up.
