Craig Breslow Reveals Status Of Red Sox's Extension Talks With Alex Bregman

Alex Bregman is about to return to the field for the Boston Red Sox. But how permanent is that return?

Bregman is on a three-year, $120 million contract, but he can opt out after the season and pursue free agency if he thinks there's a better offer out there. And based on his fantastic two months to start the season (before suffering a quad injury), there's probably a better offer indeed.

It's safe to say the Red Sox are under immense pressure to lock up Bregman after trading away Rafael Devers, particularly because signing Bregman and moving Devers off third base played a key role in the fractured relationship with the former Boston star.

And with the trade deadline looming, the idea has even proliferated that Bregman could be traded if he and the Red Sox don't agree to an extension.

So where do those extension talks stand? On Thursday, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow gave an update (if you could call it that) on WEEI's "Greg Hill Show."

“I think ‘ongoing’ is always a fair summary, given this is something on our mind and it’s something on Alex’s mind,” Breslow said.

Bregman has said it's a "high priority" for him to find a team and city he can call home for the rest of its career. Breslow says the feeling is mutual.

“I’ve been pretty outspoken about what he’s provided on the field and in the clubhouse. He’s a guy we would like to have here in a Red Sox uniform for a long time," Breslow said.

Of course, saying you want to work out a contract and actually getting it done are very, very different. The Red Sox weren't willing to go beyond the three-year deal last winter for a reason, and as great as Bregman has been, it's uncertain how much that stance may have changed.

But it sounds like both sides want the same thing, so to some degree, fans have to be encouraged.