Red Sox Writer Makes Bittersweet Alex Bregman Prediction

Alex Bregman’s time with the Boston Red Sox has been, in a way, too productive.

Through 50 games, Bregman is Boston’s best player.

Entering Wednesday, the 31-year-old was hitting .304/.388/.565, leading the Red Sox in batting average, home runs (11, tied with Wilyer Abreu), OPS (.954), and hits (58).

Bregman’s hot season would normally be met with undiluted joy from Red Sox fans, but his contract situation complicates matters.

The better Bregman plays, the more likely he is to exercise his opt-out following the season, leaving the possibility open that Boston could lose him in free agency.

Forgetting the perspective of the Red Sox’s front office for one moment, let’s acknowledge that this is all good news for Bregman, who is setting himself up for a glorious payday.

MassLive’s Christopher Smith did well to point this out on Tuesday night, posting to X the following double-prediction concerning Bregman:

“Alex Bregman is about to get paid a massive amount of money after he finishes top 5 in the AL MVP voting this year,” Smith wrote.

Red Sox fans would love to see Bregman compete for MVP, but at the same time, they’d be anxious that an MVP season could push Bregman out of Boston’s price range following the season, in the event of an inevitable opt-out.

By the way, an extension for Bregman, though unlikely, is still possible. On Monday, Red Sox On SI’s Jackson Roberts speculated that Boston could get extension talks flowing by starting with a $200 million offer.

Based on Bregman's perfect fit with the Red Sox, it would be surprising if Boston didn’t do everything in its fiscal power to keep Bregman in a Boston uniform moving forward, either through an extension or by re-signing Bregman post-op-out.

Red Sox supporters should go all-in on a Bregman MVP season and keep faith that Boston’s brass will take care of business with Bregman by keeping him at Fenway Park, no matter the cost.