The Boston Red Sox were looking to make a splash this past winter. They were coming off a .500 season and had finished in third place in the American League East. Opening Day starter Garrett Crochet was acquired in a trade with the Chicago White Sox and Walker Buehler was a marquee free agent signings. But Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow had one more item on his to-do list.
That item happened to be another player. Alex Bregman was one of the top free agents available in this year’s class but waited the entire offseason before making a decision. Boston’s pursuit had as many twists and turns as an afternoon soap opera but eventually paid off when the former Houston Astros legend agreed to a three-year $120 million contract.
Although there were some bumps initially, Bregman has settled in with his new team. But he made a surprising admission before the Red Sox took on another team he was interested in – the Detroit Tigers.
Alex Bregman Thought He Was Signing With The Tigers Before Red Sox Deal
Bregman talked with reporters before the Red Sox hosted the Tigers in a Grapefruit League game on Wednesday at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla. While he donned Boston apparel, he admitted that he thought he was heading to Detroit for a majority of the offseason before the Red Sox came in with a contract at the 11th hour.
“Honestly, I thought I was going there for 98 percent of the offseason,” Bregman said via Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic. “...Obviously they’ve got a young team that is very good. We played against them in the playoffs last year, so I know how good they are. Very intriguing. We gave clearance to go there twice.”
The Tigers made a pretty good case to win the Bregman sweepstakes. Detroit was one of the American League’s biggest surprises, overcoming a double-digit deficit in the wild card standings and sweeping Bregman’s Astros in the best-of-three Wild Card Series last October. There was also a connection with manager A.J. Hinch, who led Bregman to his first World Series title in 2017 and talked numerous times during the recruitment process.
Detroit believed they were making the finishing touches when they offered Bregman a six-year, $171.5 million contract with an opt-out in the second year. But Boston swooped in at the last minute with a three-year, $120 million contract that featured $60 million in deferred money and opt-outs after each of the first two seasons.
“It was kind of crazy,” Bregman said during an interview on Foul Territory on Wednesday. “Honestly met with a lot of teams and then, honestly, everything just happened in like the last 30 minutes. It was kind of rapid fire. I thought we were going somewhere else the entire time. And then in like the last 30 minutes, we talked to Boston and it got the deal done.”
It could turn out to be a valuable 30 minutes for the Red Sox. Bregman hit .260/.315/.453 with 25 home runs and 75 RBI in his final season with the Astros and won his first career Gold Glove Award, registering six defensive runs saved at third base. With the ability to get out of the contract and test free agency next season, it also motivates Bregman to have a big year, giving the Sox a high-end stopgap for top prospects Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell.