Red Sox Get Promising Update On Alex Bregman Extension From Agent Scott Boras

As phenomenal as Alex Bregman has been for the Boston Red Sox so far, there's certainly reason for concern among the fan base.

When Bregman inked his three-year, $120 million deal with the Red Sox in February, it was important for the two-time All-Star to have the ability to re-enter the market if he had a big year. Now, he's having the biggest of years, and the opt-out in his contract is looming large.

With a .303/.386/.569 slash line and 2.9 bWAR thus far, Bregman is looking like a safe bet to opt out of the deal unless the Red Sox can quickly work out a long-term extension that pays him what he feels he's worth. And the man tasked with brokering that extension for Bregman would be super-agent Scott Boras.

Boras, the most high-profile agent in the sport, went on NESN's "310 to Left" podcast in an episode published on Tuesday to discuss why Bregman was set up to make more money in free agency this winter, since he no longer comes with a qualifying offer.

"The qualifying offer limits the markets for really great players,” Boras said. “We’ve seen with (Matt) Chapman, with (Blake) Snell, with (Carlos) Correa, when you remove the qualifying offer, the true value of the player is then exhibited in the market, because there are vastly more teams involved in the free agent negotiation because great free agent players come to you and you also get to reserve your draft pick.”

But Boras also hinted that an extension was possible, saying that the choice would be up to Bregman and his wife, Reagan. The pair just moved to Boston after the superstar's nine-year tenure with the Houston Astros and had their second child in April.

“Alex and Reagan have to make those decisions about how they would want to entertain any actions by the Red Sox,” Boras said. “My philosophy is that I always leave that an open door.”

There will be no cheaping out from the Red Sox on this one. They'll have to offer Bregman the world, likely $200 million as a starting point, to keep him from hitting the open market.

But based on how well Bregman has performed thus far and his obvious comfort at Fenway Park, there's a chance they could sign him for a reasonable value rather than being met with total resistance with free agency looming.