It’s been four years since the Boston Red Sox made the playoffs.
It’s been seven since they’ve won the American League East.
They traded away Mookie Betts and Chris Sale and let Xander Boegarts leave in free agency.
But there’s no doubt they’re going for it now.
Late Wednesday, the Red Sox agreed to terms with star infielder Alex Bregman, putting an exclamation point on an excellent offseason.
It’s a three-year, $120 million contract with deferred money and with opt-outs after every season, according to ESPN. With the deferrals, the present-day value of the deal is reportedly around $90 million over three years.
The agreement ended a long flirtation between the Red Sox and Bregman, who is expected to move to second base after spending his first nine MLB seasons as a third baseman for the Houston Astros.
Houston reportedly offered Bregman a six-year, $156 million contract, while the Detroit Tigers made him a six-year, $171 million offer.
But the Red Sox, and their significantly higher annual salary, won in the end, adding MLB’s biggest remaining free agent right before the start of spring training.
Bregman, who turns 31 next month, provides a pull-heavy right-handed bat that should play well at Fenway Park, where the Green Monster is only 310 feet down the left-field line.
His right handedness helps balance out a Red Sox lineup largely headlined by left-handed hitters, including Rafael Devers, Jarren Duran, Triston Casas and Masataka Yoshida.
Bregman won a Gold Glove last year, but the Red Sox are set at the corners with Devers at third base and Casas at first.
The Red Sox are taking a gamble, considering Bregman delivered a career-worst .768 OPS with 26 home runs and 75 RBI last season.
Those sub-par statistics can be attributed in part to an ice-cold start in which Bregman batted .201 with one home run and a .534 OPS through his first 37 games. He hit .279 with an .846 OPS the rest of the way.
His season-long average exit velocity of 89.1 mph ranked just above league average and was actually a tick better than it was in 2023. His squared-up percentage of 33.8% and strikeout of 13.6% rate remained elite.
Bregman has not been an All-Star since 2019, when he recorded 41 home runs, 112 RBI and a 1.015 OPS and finished second in AL MVP voting.
But he’s still a very good player, and he makes the Red Sox better in 2025. The deal being only three years, even at big money, helps mitigate some of the risk.
The Yankees, who have uncertainty at third base, spoke with agent Scott Boras about Bregman this offseason but were never considered a major player for his services.
“He’s been a thorn in our side for years, along with other people’s sides,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said of Bregman in December. “He’s now into free agency. I’m sure he’s got a boatload of choices. Really good players like him make a lot of money.”
Bregman won World Series with Houston in 2017 and 2022, though the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal hangs over the first of those championships.
The Astros have won the American League West four seasons in a row but look different this year with the departure of Bregman; their trading away of Kyle Tucker; and their additions of first baseman Christian Walker and third baseman Isaac Paredes.
The Red Sox went 81-81 last season and finished in third in the AL East but have since transformed their roster.
They swung a blockbuster trade to acquire burgeoning ace Garrett Crochet, who struck out 209 batters in 146 innings last season with the Chicago White Sox.
The Red Sox also signed right-handed starter Walker Buehler, who struggled last season in his return from a second Tommy John surgery but returned to form during the Los Angeles Dodgers’ World Series run.
Boston expects to get back right-handed starter Lucas Giolito, who missed last season after undergoing elbow surgery, and signed left-handed relievers Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson in free agency.
The Red Sox have three major prospects in Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer all nearing their debuts.
Before the Bregman agreement, FanGraphs’ projections gave the Red Sox a 51.0% chance of making the playoffs. Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA model was far more pessimistic, giving Boston a 13.7% chance.
The Yankees and Baltimore Orioles remain the favorites in the AL East, but Boston now appears much better equipped to compete.