Bregman May Opt Out of Red Sox Deal After 2025

Alex Bregman, the Boston Red Sox third baseman, could be headed back to the open market after this season, according to multiple baseball insiders, as the club navigates the prospect of losing a key performer and clubhouse leader during a postseason push. Bregman signed a three year, $120 million contract with Boston last winter, but it contains at least one player opt out that would allow him to test free agency after the 2025 campaign, and several reports say the deal includes opt out opportunities after each of the first two seasons.

Through roughly 95 games this season Bregman has hit about .281 with 16 home runs, roughly 54 RBIs, a .364 on base percentage and a 3.1 WAR, despite missing more than a month with a right quad strain, according to team and league accounts. Those numbers have prompted widely reported predictions that he will exercise his contractual opt outs and seek a long term, high annual value deal in free agency this winter.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan and MLB reporter Mark Feinsand have both projected that Bregman could leverage his 2025 performance into a five year or longer contract with an average annual value in the neighborhood of $35 million, potentially...