Red Sox Reportedly Left Disappointed by Alex Bregman’s $175 Million Deal with Cubs

Alex Bregman agreed to a 5-year, $175 million deal with the Chicago Cubs and will have a full no-trade clause and no opt-outs.

Red Sox Reportedly Left Disappointed by Alex Bregman’s $175 Million Deal with Cubs

Alex Bregman (Image via MassLive)

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The Boston Red Sox suffered a major setback on Saturday following the $175 million deal of Alex Bregman with the Chicago Cubs. As per reports, the American League East were left disappointed by the third baseman after he chose the Cubs over them.

Last year, Bregman joined the Red Sox on a 3-year, $120 million deal after becoming a free agent. His arrival in Boston sparked some tensions in the clubhouse with Rafael Devers.

Devers, who was in the second year of his mega 10-year, $313.5 million deal, would refuse to give up the 3rd base position. After some internal discussions, the team would give this position to Bregman and made Devers the designated hitter (DH) of the team.

After the team swept the New York Yankees in June, the team traded away Devers to the San Francisco Giants. Bregman would end up being one of the top performers for the team and finished the regular season with a slash line of .273/.360/.462 in 114 games with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs.

The Cubs, who were actively pursuing him last season, would land him this time. The NL Central side agreed to a 5-year, $175 million deal, making him one of their biggest signings in recent years.

With this deal, the Red Sox have been left empty-handed at 3rd base. They traded one of their top stars in Devers to accommodate Bregman to third base only for him to opt out months later and sign a multi-year team with some other team.

According to reports, the Red Sox did offer him a 5-year, $165 million deal. However, the 31-year-old chose the Cubs’ offer, which offered him $10 million more. The Red Sox are reported to be left disappointed by Bregman’s latest move.

Red Sox reportedly did not wanted to offer Alex Bregman a no-trade clause

The Boston Red Sox lost a major piece of their offense and defense in Alex Bregman on Saturday. The 3-time MLB All-Star decided to join the Chicago Cubs on a 5-year deal instead of returning to Boston. As per reports, the Red Sox did not want to offer him a no-trade clause.

Alex Bregman
Alex Bregman (Image via X/@mlbtraderumors)

Bregman’s deal with the Cubs includes a full no-trade clause and has no opt-outs. The Cubs are also deferring $70 million of his contract.

According to insider Sean McAdam, the Red Sox refused to add a no-trade clause in Bregman’s deal. This turned out to be a sticking point in their negotiations with him.

Last season, the team did trade away Rafael Devers, who was in the 2nd year of his mega deal. Bregman likely wanted to avoid such situation and asked for a no-trade clause which the team were unwilling to give.

Red Sox’s Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow breaks silence on Alex Bregman’s deal with Cubs

A few hours after Alex Bregman’s deal with the Chicago Cubs was announced, Boston Red Sox’s Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow broke his silence. In an interview with Chris Cotillo of MassLive, he expressed that he respected the decision of the 2-time World Series winner.

Craig Breslow and Alex Bregman
Craig Breslow and Alex Bregman (Image via MassLive/ClutchPoints)

In the interview, Breslow admitted that it was disappointing to see him sign somewhere else. However, he later pointed out that the player had earned the right to decide what was best for his future.

Without getting into the specifics of the negotiation, Alex and his family earned the right to decide where they want to spend the next five years of his career, and while we had hoped it would be here, we respect the right they’ve earned. It would be foolish and unfair for me to guess what was most important in their decision-making.

Craig Breslow said regarding Alex Bregman

The major question now is, what will the Red Sox do after losing Bregman? As per Breslow, the team will continue to look at free agents and even try some trades. At the moment, the Red Sox are the only team that has not signed a major league free agent this offseason.

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