Alex Bregman Weighs In On Key Aspect Of Red Sox Contract

Alex Bregman bet on himself to become a member of the Boston Red Sox.

At least that’s how the two-time All-Star looks at his three-year, $120 million contract, which features player opt-outs following each of the first two seasons.

“I think I just believe in my abilities,” Bregman told reporters Sunday morning during his introductory press conference in Fort Myers, Fla., as seen on NESN.

Bregman certainly had the chance in free agency to take a longer-term deal, which would have brought a great measure of security to his future. The Detroit Tigers reportedly offered him a six-year contract worth $171.5 million.

But the nine-year MLB veteran opted to go with Boston’s offer due to the flexibility it provides. It gives him an average annual value of $40 million — not counting deferrals — and allows Bregman, who turns 31 next month, to re-test the free agent market in a year if he so chooses.

That probably will all hinge on the type of season Bregman has coming up. And he, his agent, Scott Boras, and the Red Sox are all expecting it to be a good one. Boras pointed to Bregman’s career 1.240 OPS at Fenway Park — the highest among any player in MLB history with at least 75 plate appearances — as a “very strong driving point” for why Bregman and the Red Sox would be a good fit.

“There’s some players you’d never do this for. With a guy like Alex Bregman, he is just built with an understanding of himself, his confidence,” Boras told reporters, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “In Bregman’s case, the demand for his talent, his resume, and all of that, he got long-term offers, he got optionalities such as this contract we did with Boston, and he had to make a tough decision.

“We’re talking about millions of dollars that he could have guaranteed yet he chose to come here. Certainly, greater annual potentials, but he certainly sacrificed a lot of the guarantee to be a Red Sox.”