The Boston Red Sox have found their much-needed right-handed bat.
Boston signed veteran third baseman Alex Bregman to a three-year contract worth $120 million on Wednesday, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic. The deal includes opt-outs after each season.
ESPN's Jeff Passan adds that Bregman's contract includes deferred money, and his $40 million salary is $10 million-plus more than other clubs were offering.
Bregman was undeniably the best free agent left on the market. The 30-year-old brings a Gold Glove and a right-handed swing tailor-made for Fenway Park. Most importantly, he brings a championship pedigree to a team that hasn't clinched a playoff berth since 2021.
A two-time World Series champion with the Houston Astros, Bregman now will help anchor a Red Sox lineup that previously was far too left-handed-heavy. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has said from the start of the offseason that adding a big right-handed bat was among his top priorities. He can now check that item off his to-do list.
Bregman slashed .260/.315/.453 with 26 home runs and 75 RBI last season for Houston. While it was a down year by the soon-to-be 31-year-old's standards, there's little doubt he'll add immense upside to the Red Sox roster as a hitter, defender, and clubhouse leader.
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With Bregman on board, it'll be worth monitoring how the Red Sox proceed with their infield. They could shift Bregman over to second base, but top prospect Kristian Campbell and Vaughn Grissom are expected to battle for the position in spring training.
Another option is moving slugger Rafael Devers to designated hitter and putting Bregman in his usual position, but then what would they do with current DH Masataka Yoshida?
That's up for manager Alex Cora and the rest of the staff to decide. But with Bregman in the fold, Red Sox spring training down at Fort Myers just got a whole lot more interesting.
