Alex Bregman will be opting out of his current Red Sox deal, sources say, and off his fine first year in Boston, there could be an extra suitor or two, potentially including at least one surprise team (mentioned below) — although Boston still seems like a logical fit.
Bregman’s baseball-first attitude made sense for Boston. The Red Sox still have the $250M-plus saved from the Rafael Devers trade, and loved the veteran leadership of Bregman, the only player to play in the past eight Octobers.
But the field should include more teams, making it an easy call to opt out of his deal, which calls for $80M over the next two years. The Tigers are the most obvious suitor with his old Astros manager A.J. Hinch. The Tigers offered $171.5M over six years last year, and he countered about $10M higher before taking Boston’s three-year deal.
The Jays and Mariners, playing in the ALCS, are among other possible fits, but there could be some surprise teams.
