The Boston Red Sox mis-timed the extension talks with their All-Star Alex Bregman. Now, he's reportedly no longer considering one for the time being, as the team is readying for the playoff push in September.
Alex Bregman, the de facto team leader, voiced before his return from injury that he would love to stay in Boston, and his agent, Scott Boras, made the same claim publicly. But things seem to have changed.
Since his return, Alex Bregman has been batting .295, with three home runs, five doubles, 11 RBIs, and 23 hits in those 22 games. He's been gaining consistency again, and it's only a matter of time before the playoff push, where he'll have a monster game and go 3-4 with two home runs or something in that aspect.
Since his revelation of wanting an extension, the Red Sox had reportedly not been active in talks with him. Many were assuming he was on the trade market come the trade deadline. However, that was not the truth. He stayed in Boston despite those rumors.
Red Sox' Fumbling of Alex Bregman Contract Negotiation Raising New Concerns
The biggest concern is whether the Red Sox lost their shot at getting back their beloved fan favorite. The answer is, unfortunately, inconclusive at this time. We can scope out all the quotes and the articles we want, but when push comes to shove, money talks. Just ask the Red Sox themselves on what they gave Bregman for his contract.
Spoiler: It was 3 years, worth $120 million with opt-outs in the next two seasons. Doing the math, all three seasons will be worth $40 million a season with deferrals. He's most likely to opt out of his contract, due to his wanting a long-term commitment to a team, supposedly for the rest of his career. Boston is the team that he wants to be with, but let's see what happens if they're going to broach that subject with Bregman or not.
Regardless, Bregman is a Scott Boras client. This means that he'll test free agency, and unless the Red Sox want to fork up more money for him, Boras may want him to reject that for more money. It's the circle of life in the sports agency world, and unfortunately, it might spell disaster for the Red Sox. They may have lost their guy.