With a week left before the start of Spring Training games, Alex Bregman has a home. The Red Sox have reportedly signed Alex Bregman, giving Boston a substantial bat who can complement their collection of left-handed hitters. The 31-year-old Bregman, meanwhile, will play for a team not named the Astros for the first time in his MLB career.
A Look at Bregman
The Red Sox orignally drafted Alex Bregman in the 29th round out of high school back in 2012. However, Bregman opted not to sign and instead go to LSU. The move worked for him, as Bregman became the second-overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft.
Bregman raced up to the Majors and became a force from the onset. He hit 19 home runs in his rookie season back in 2017, then cracked 31 a year later and posted a .926 OPS. Bregman’s best campaign came in the “juiced” season of 2019, with a .296/.423/.592 (1.105 OPS) slash line with 41 home runs and a league-best 119 walks.
The veteran infielder has yet to come close to those marks since then. However, Bregman’s been as steady as they come. The ex-Astro hit 20+ home runs in each of the last three seasons, overcoming traditionally slow starts to get going later in the year.
Bregman, however, is not a pure power hitter. The 30-year-old regularly chokes up on the bat to maxmize barrel control, a key reason why Bregman rarely whiffs. His 12.8% Whiff% and 13.6% K% rates both ranked among the top 10% of the league last season.
And despite what were incredible home run totals in 2018 and 2019, Bregman hasn’t been an above-average barrel hitter. Which, can be a byproduct of fringe-average bat speed and more control than power.
Still, that doesn’t mean Bregman can’t hit for power; The ex-Astro regularly looked for lift, a reason why he had above-average fly-ball numbers. He’s strong and gets under balls enough to drive them. Plus, he had friendly confines given the short porch in left field.
Defensively, Bregman is a rangy player at third base. That’s not a shock, given the fact he played short in college — although, that was a decade ago — but he does move around well at the hot corner. However, Bregman has below-average arm strength. Still, that didn’t stop him from winning his first AL Gold Glove in 2024.
Per the New York Post, Alex Bregman will sign with the Red Sox on a three-year deal worth $120MM. The deal comes with deferred money and Bregman can opt out either after the first or second season.
Analysis
It’s about as soft of a landing spot possible for Bregman, who will play for a different MLB organization for the first time in his career. It appeared that a lane had somewhat opened up for him to return in Houston thanks to comments made by the front office, and Jose Altuve expressing a willingness to move to left.
However, a return to Houston was not meant to be. Now, Bregman will head to Fenway Park, a very friendly ballpark for right-handed hitters thanks to the Green Monster.
Bregman should do well in Boston. His ability to get under balls, a great eye, and a pull-leaning tendency may lead to a lot of balls off the wall — or over it. Which, could lead to strong offensive numbers.
As for the Red Sox, the move could open the door to push Rafael Devers off third. Devers moving off the position felt inevitable at some point. The 28-year-old is a well-below-average runner, and has poor range and footwork at the hot corner.
But how exactly the Red Sox configure their lineup now remains to be seen. Boston could move Devers to DH, with Bregman at third and Triston Casas at first. A left-side of Bregman and Trevor Story would be significantly better than Devers and Story.
The Red Sox, though, still need to figure out what to do with Masataka Yoshida. Yoshida only played one game in the outfield last season, spending the rest of his 108 games at the DH slot. He is dealing with shoulder problems and may not be ready for the start of 2025. The thing is, though, the Red Sox are still on the hook for three more years at $18.6MM a pop.
In other Red Sox-related news, former Boston pitcher Nick Pivetta signed with the Padres on February 12.