Why A Red Sox Rival Exec Is 'Laughing' About Boston's Alex Bregman Situation

There almost aren't enough words to describe how much the Boston Red Sox need to keep Alex Bregman.

They need his bat in the lineup. They need his veteran presence in the dugout as their top prospects learn the ropes. And they need to restore some sort of good faith with the fan base after trading away Rafael Devers, which was partially brought on by Bregman signing in Boston.

Unfortunately, though trading Devers certainly freed up some money with which to work out a Bregman extension, it also put all the cards in the hands of the three-time All-Star--and his superagent, Scott Boras.

On Monday, Jayson Stark of The Athletic wrote that Bregman opting out of his final two years in Boston was a near-certainty if an extension doesn't get done, while including an illuminating quote from a rival executive.

"He’s already making $40 million a year in the first year of his free-agent deal with the Red Sox … so nobody has to worry about Bregman’s earning power. But he can (and almost certainly will) opt out. And when you combine his 158 OPS+, his in-it-to-win-it intensity and the ripple effects of the Devers trade, he’s in prime position to cash in.

"'I’ve been laughing about this for two weeks,' one AL exec said, 'just thinking about (his agent) Scott Boras’ reaction to the Devers trade with Bregman, because you know he’s sitting there thinking: ‘Just give me a blank check, because whatever I want, you guys are going to have to pay me.’”

Bregman, 31, had a .938 OPS before his quad injury in late May, and was so good in 51 games that he was named an All-Star reserve at third base for the American League.

Boston tried for an all-in approach to the offseason, and the Bregman signing was a huge piece of the puzzle. But if it winds up costing them Devers' bat for only one year of injury-interrupted production, the deal will always be remembered in a sour fashion.

Keeping Bregman will loom as the Red Sox's biggest indicator of front office success or failure for the rest of the calendar year. It will be fascinating to see how and when it all plays out.