The Boston Red Sox lost Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs this offseason, and Red Sox president Sam Kennedy recently said, “If Alex Bregman wanted to be here, ultimately, he’d be here."
Whether that is true or not is unclear. However, the differences in his contract offers from the Red Sox and Cubs are clear. The Red Sox reportedly offered Bregman a five-year, $165 million contract, with deferred money, and excluded a no-trade clause. The Cubs offered him a five-year, $175 million contract, also with deferred money, and included a no-trade clause.
Bregman was asked if he would have stayed in Boston had the Red Sox included a no-trade clause in their offer.
“It was more than just that," Bregman said, per USA Today's Bob Nightengale on Friday.
Bregman's answer does not clarify exactly what more the Red Sox could have done to keep him, but going solely off the offer he accepted, the no-trade clause and $10 million more may have gotten a deal done. Nightengale also reported that the Red Sox felt they had the best offer for Bregman.
"While Bregman declined to provide details of the talks, a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations believes that the Red Sox were convinced Bregman and agent Scott Boras were bluffing," wrote Nightengale. "The Red Sox were confident they had the highest bid, and thought they’d bidding against themselves."
Bregman slashed .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs and was an All-Star. Losing him is a major blow to the Red Sox on the field, but also in the clubhouse. He will now look to help lead the Cubs to a National League Central title for the first time since 2020.
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