Boston signs Bregman 3/120

[Stangstag]

2 hours ago, jaysblue said:

Yeah he could potentially have a good season in Boston, taking advantage of the Green Monster and dimensions, turning it into a larger contract. Which position does he play now? 

Pretty sure they’re moving Devers to 1B

[Jonn]

10 minutes ago, Stangstag said:

Pretty sure they’re moving Devers to 1B

Nope he’s playing Second Base. Triston Casas is their First Baseman 

[Jimcanuck]

Bregman to 2B.  The loser here is Kristian Campbell, although he's likely 1st up if there is an injury in the OF or at 2B/SS

[Terminator]

3 hours ago, BB17 said:

People saying Bregman is overpaid meanwhile willing to give Vladdy 400M lol.

 

Bregman WAR

Age 23- 4.7

Age 24- 7.9

Age 25- 8.3

 

Vladdy

Age 23- 3.3

Age 24- 1.3

Age 25-5.5

Lol I love the cherry picking here to show Bregman’s age 23 to 25 seasons

If he signed this deal entering his age 26 season I would get it. But it was the 2010s when these seasons happened- we’ve had two presidential elections, a pandemic and 7 SEASONS of baseball since. 

What Bregman did a decade ago has almost no correlation with Vlad

[Spanky99]

56 minutes ago, Stangstag said:

Pretty sure they’re moving Devers to 1B

Devers has publicly stated he intends to play 3B, they'll move Bregman to 2nd, as Bregman publicly stated that he'll play anywhere, Casas will play 1st, and they can all interchange with DH and rest days as seen fit etc...

[Terminator]

Definitely an odd choice to move Bregman off of 3B (3B defense is perhaps his calling card) while paying him 40 mil! Not to mention the top prospect he’s blocking now

If the Red Sox were finally going to spend I like to see them using up resources on a move like this 

[Laika]

4 hours ago, Masterbather said:

I don't think teams are stupid enough to fall for that given the statistics they have access to. If a bunch of average fans are aware of that then I'm sure baseball executives around baseball doling out massive sums of money are aware of that. Wasn't Bellinger hurt by advanced statistics revealing him to be a bit of a phony or am I misremembering?

Yes. And the short term deal thing worked out for Matt Chapman (played well and got his extension) probably because the under the hood stats love him (he crushes the ball).

[Eat My Shatkins]

The Red Sox?

Really??

f*** me

 

Like, come on dude

[Grant77]

7 hours ago, Brownie19 said:

Oh man. I went to a couple of games back in 2011 and it was a great experience.  Perhaps things have changed?

It wasn't so bad up on the field, but both times I found the concession areas reeked of urine. I understand that it's an old stadium, but I think the huge lines at the limited washrooms cause people to urinate in the corridors. That being said, the highlight of my first game was the tour of the stadium, as I'm a big history lover. It was mostly Jays fans and we had a good laugh at the anger of the tour guide when we correctly pointed out that the Ted Williams seat is the second longest HR behind Rowdy Tellez.

The ignorant fans and racist taunts are, of course, an enduring feature of Boston sports. NBA players sometimes speak out on the things that are said to them in Boston and it's not too kind.

[JaysAllMighty]

Conversation with Copilot AI:

Clement Blue Jays will outshine Bregman at 3rd. base

 

AI: Ah, I see! You're talking about Ernie Clement of the Toronto Blue Jays and Alex Bregman, who recently signed with the Boston Red Sox. Clement had a breakout season in 2024, setting career-highs in several categories and proving his worth defensively at third base. On the other hand, Bregman is a seasoned veteran with multiple All-Star appearances and a Gold Glove award.

It's definitely an interesting comparison! Clement's performance last season was impressive, but Bregman's experience and track record are hard to overlook. Do you think Clement can maintain his high level of play, or do you see Bregman reclaiming his top form with the Red Sox?

 

 

I see Bergman declining

 

AI: It's understandable to have that perspective. Alex Bregman's performance has shown some signs of decline recently. While he's still a valuable player, his stats have dipped compared to his peak years with the Houston Astros1.

On the other hand, Ernie Clement has been on the rise, and his breakout season in 2024 certainly makes him a strong contender. It will be interesting to see how both players perform in the upcoming season. Do you think Clement's upward trajectory will continue, or do you see Bregman making a comeback?

 

 

Bregman is not worth $40M a year, that's ridiculous

 

AI: I hear you. Alex Bregman's contract with the Boston Red Sox is indeed hefty, at $120 million over three years, which averages to $40 million per year. Given his recent performance, it does seem like a steep price.

It's always a gamble when teams invest heavily in players, hoping they can return to their peak form. Do you think the Red Sox might regret this deal, or do you see Bregman proving his worth?

 

 

 

 

and Clement will be better and a lot cheaper for the Blue Jays

 

AI: That makes a lot of sense. Ernie Clement’s contract is certainly more budget-friendly for the Blue Jays, and if he continues to play at the level he did last season, he could provide excellent value for the team.

It’s always interesting to see how these player contracts and performance dynamics play out over time. It could very well be that Clement emerges as a stronger and more cost-effective option at third base.

[Jimcanuck]

AI is going to dumb us down even more

[Spanky99]

WTF did I just read?

[glory]

Yeah with that AAV (depending on deferrals) I don’t think it’s a lock that Bregman opts out. He just had a 4 WAR season and teams were reluctant to give him big years. Not sure what changes a year from now when he’s 32. A $40M 2B showing signs of offensive decline already doesn’t seem like the best investment but maybe the Sox get lucky.

I’m just glad it’s over and we can move on with the off season now without the Alonso/Bregman nonsense. Hopefully there’s a shrewd trade out there.

[jaysblue]

AL East is definitely going to be tougher.

Give the Jays still a solid B+ offseason. Would have been epic if they could have lured one more big FA bat like Alonso or Bregman, but that's alright.

Would be nice to re-sign Vladdy to an extension if both can reach a reasonable figure before ST. Locking up Vladdy as well might help lure future FA's in upcoming years as well. 

[Laika]

My guess is that he doesn't opt out. 

He was the only viable 3B on the market this offseason. What is going to change in one year? 

Maybe if he is solid in 2025 and 2026 he can threaten to opt out so that Boston extends him. 

Taking 3/$120 is kind of a no-brainer if you have any confidence in yourself though, if the top alternative was something like 6/$170. If he is mediocre after this deal he can probably still get some $10M or $15M AAVs, and if he is good in 2027 he can probably tack a three year deal onto his career. Christian Walker just got one at 34. 

[Stangstag]

Quote

The deferrals in the deal are significant, sources told ESPN's Buster Olney, with the present-day value of the contract at around $90 million for the three years

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/43819306/sources-alex-bregman-lands-free-agent-deal-red-sox

[Stangstag]

honestly 90/3 for Bregman is kind of a steal

[Laika]

Gross. That changes the calculus

[L54]

The $40 million annual salary is more than $10 million per year than other teams were offering, sources said. The deal includes two opt-outs and deferred money.

The deferrals in the deal are significant, sources told ESPN's Buster Olney, with the present-day value of the contract at around $90 million for the three years.

[Laika]

Fine. Good job Boston. You did it. Now what? 

Trading Casas? Benching Yoshida? Benching their elite defensive CF and making Durran the CF? 

[L54]

So with deferrals it’s the exact same AAV everyone else was offering, plus opt outs 

It seems as if any team who actually wanted him would’ve matched this. He just chose BOS 

 

[L54]

2 minutes ago, Laika said:

Fine. Good job Boston. You did it. Now what? 

Trading Casas? Benching Yoshida? Benching their elite defensive CF and making Durran the CF? 

Trade Casas 

[Laika]

Just now, L54 said:

So with deferrals it’s the exact same AAV everyone else was offering, plus opt outs 

It seems as if any team who actually wanted him would’ve matched this. He just chose BOS 

 

Probably park preference. 

[L54]

Boston is the new AL East favourite 

[L54]

Just now, Laika said:

Probably park preference. 

100% 

In Chicago he would’ve turned into Paredes 

[glory]

Yeah 3/90 in present day value makes the deal a lot better for the Red Sox even with the opt outs. Bregman should still be a solid player over the next 3 years so even if he doesn't opt out it's not a major problem at that AAV. Curious to see what the deferrals looked like, if any, on his 6/170 offer. I don't think he's touching $170M over the next 6 years even if he opts out after 2025, or at least it's not a guarantee. If you assume he doesn't opt out at all, then he makes $120M (not factoring deferrals) over 3 years. To get to $170M, he'd need to sign a deal for at least 3/50 at age 34. I mean, maybe that's possible, but I wouldn't bet on it. The decision to go with a higher AAV/lower years deal looked like a smart one, but less so with the deferrals factored in. He must have really wanted to go to the Red Sox.

[Orgfiller]

20 minutes ago, L54 said:

So with deferrals it’s the exact same AAV everyone else was offering, plus opt outs 

It seems as if any team who actually wanted him would’ve matched this. He just chose BOS 

 

I think it also makes it more likely that he opts out and gets the deal he always wanted next winter. 3/90 is a reasonable guarantee for him but it gives him the option to pull a Matt Chapman and get that cushy multi-year deal on his terms without the QO attached,

[wilko]

What a deal lol.. I assume he's going to play 2B. The opt outs are insanity. 

[Spanky99]

Well, that ain't so bad after all. Still screw that f***er.

[Nexii]

Does make you wonder at what point MLB gets itself in trouble with so many deferrals. It's kind of like leveraging, all it would take is a bit of a downturn in revenues and teams wouldn't be able to make the payments (Arizona got in trouble).

Of course, inflation could skyrocket, and they become a raw deal for players. I think this is actually more likely and maybe we'll see less deferrals in the future as players become averse to that risk.