10 a.m. ET: The Boston Red Sox kicked off spring training with a bang Wednesday night, reportedly agreeing to a three-year, $120 million contract with star infielder Alex Bregman.
Bregman, who spent the first nine years of his MLB career with the Houston Astros, will infuse some right-handed oomph into Boston’s lineup. Plus, the two-time All-Star has a championship pedigree, having won two World Series titles in Houston. So, he’ll be a welcomed addition to the Red Sox clubhouse.
First, some programming notes…
NESN will have wall-to-wall coverage of the Bregman news, which breathes even more life into the Red Sox’s effort to reach the postseason for the first time since 2021.
Be sure to follow NESN on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram. And why not subscribe to NESN’s YouTube channel while you’re at it?
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NESN’s “310 to Left” podcast, featuring Tom Caron and Lou Merloni, will air on NESN throughout the day, beginning with a live episode at 10 a.m. ET.
NESN also will air a new episode of “Red Sox from Fort Myers” at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Tune in (right here!) and check back with NESN.com for continuous coverage. There’s palpable buzz down at Red Sox spring training in Fort Myers, Fla., and we’ll have all the latest Bregman news and updates from JetBlue Park — and beyond.
10:30 a.m.: Now, let’s get down to the nuts and bolts…
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Bregman’s deal with Boston reportedly includes two opt-opts (after the 2025 and 2026 seasons). He reportedly chose the Red Sox over the Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs and his former team, all of whom offered contracts longer than three years.
What did the Tigers offer Bregman?
What did the Cubs offer Bregman?
Where will Bregman play in Boston?
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What will the Red Sox lineup look like with Bregman?
What will the Red Sox roster look like with Bregman?
Snack on all that for now. We’ll be back shortly.
11:45 a.m.: OK, hopefully, you’ve had enough time to digest everything.
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The ramifications of Bregman’s deal with Boston (obviously) are massive. The Red Sox already looked like potential contenders after a productive offseason that saw them acquire Garrett Crochet and sign Walker Buehler to bolster their rotation. Now, their lineup is stacked, with Bregman giving manager Alex Cora a ton of flexibility.
The stat geeks are taking notice, too, with the Red Sox’s postseason adds shifting — rather dramatically — in wake of the Bregman news.
FanDuel Sportsbook had the Red Sox at +2500 to win the World Series and +1000 to win the American League as of Thursday morning.
The New York Yankees (+100) and Baltimore Orioles (+250) remained ahead of the Red Sox (+440) in the AL East futures market, but one could argue Boston is well positioned to contend for a divisional crown in 2025.
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Put simply: Expectations have changed for the Red Sox.
Safe to say, the Red Sox have a lot of momentum after going 81-81 in 2024.
12:15 p.m.: You know that palpable buzz we mentioned?
Yeah, it’s infiltrated the Red Sox clubhouse down at Fenway South.
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Walker Buehler, who co-owns a racehorse with Bregman, spoke about his new teammate’s impressive résumé Thursday morning in Fort Myers.
And Crochet (Boston’s new ace) believes signing Bregman sends a clear message.
Cora is scheduled to address the media at 12:45 p.m. Talk soon.
2:30 p.m.: Alex Cora spoke with reporters outside JetBlue Park.
Obviously, he was asked about Bregman. But the Red Sox manager wouldn’t comment on Bregman, specifically, as the deal was not yet official as of Thursday afternoon.
“Obviously, I cannot get into specifics,” Cora said. “But the front office is working hard, like I said a few days ago, and the offseason is not over. So, they’ll keep working hard, and we’ll see what the future brings.”
Watch Cora’s full media availability below.
Cora, of course, is familiar with Bregman from their time together in Houston, where the former was the bench coach for the Astros’ 2017 championship season.
“As a person, that’s a kid that I really respect, I really like,” Cora said. “We went through a lot for a while there. We have a good relationship. … You guys have talked to him, and he’s very similar to Dustin (Pedroia) as far as the baseball ‘rat’ that he is.”
3:05 p.m.: Abraham Toro, a non-roster invitee at Red Sox spring training, came up through the Astros system after being drafted by Houston in 2016.
As such, NESN’s Tom Caron asked Toro about Bregman on Thursday.
“First of all, he’s just a great leader and I don’t think anybody likes baseball like that guy,” Toro told TC in the Red Sox clubhouse at JetBlue Park. “He’s always thinking about baseball and always talking about hitting, and he’s a good guy to have around.”
Toro appeared in 93 games with the Astros between 2019 and 2021.
3:25 p.m.: Let’s take a step back for a second.
The Dodgers did Dodgers things. And the Mets signed Juan Soto. But the Red Sox also look like clear MLB offseason winners after landing Bregman.
ESPN, for one, thinks very highly of the “needle-moving” deal.
Boston was linked to Bregman in rumors for most of the offseason, but Wednesday’s news still came as a “surprise” to Lou Merloni, largely because it seemed like the Red Sox might shift their focus toward a trade for St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado.
Speaking of Arenado, here’s a quick update on where things stand with him after the Bregman-Red Sox news:
Might the Tigers and/or Cubs pivot toward Arenado after losing out on Bregman?
5:45 p.m.: Some new details emerged regarding Bregman’s contract with the Red Sox.
The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier explained Thursday that Bregman will receive a $5 million signing bonus with a $35 million salary for 2025. Bregman then will earn $40 million salaries for 2026 and 2027, if he doesn’t opt out after either of the next two seasons.
According to Speier, the “significant” deferrals in Bregman’s new contract will lower the average annual value to $31.7 million (for MLB luxury-tax purposes).
Overall, it’s a structure that seemingly makes sense for both sides. The Red Sox decreased their luxury-tax hit on a sizable investment, whereas Bregman, who turns 31 in March, can test free agency again either next offseason or the following winter if he so chooses.
6:10 p.m.: Keep in mind “Red Sox from Fort Myers” airs live on NESN at 6:30 p.m.
You can watch here.
6:25 p.m.: So, what’s next for the Red Sox after signing Bregman?
We identified five moves Boston still could make before Opening Day.
Either way, the Red Sox are in good shape.
Featured image via Troy Taormina/Imagn Images
