The Boston Red Sox Just Lost Alex Bregman To The Cubs Over A Reported $3M/Year And If You're A Sox Fan You Should Be Irate

The Boston Red Sox held their annual "Fenway Fest" event Saturday at Fenway Park. Manager Alex Cora was there and was asked about the team's pursuit of free agent Alex Bregman. 

“You’ve got to ask him,” Cora said when asked by the Boston media. “The ball is in his court.” 

And that ball  - and Bregman -  are off to Chicago. 

By now, you know that the All-Star third baseman signed a 5-year, $175 million deal with the Cubs. This blog has nothing to do with the Cubs and everything to do with the Red Sox. 

What a disaster. The whole thing. A quick timeline: 

Sign slugger Rafael Devers to a mega deal. 

Bring in Bregman, but suggest he could play second base and not take Devers' position. 

Of course, end up putting the Gold Glove of Bregman at third, telling Devers to "leave your glove at home" to go to DH

When first base stinks, end up asking Devers to move to first, both sides handling it poorly. 

Use that situation to justify trading Devers' contract to San Fran for an especially shitty return.

Lose in the playoffs because, in part, the middle of your order sucks. 

Months later, lose Bregman in free agency to the Cubs. 

Yeah, this is much more than just a big free agent leaving Boston - it's the whole process that got us here. 

Most of my anger has been directed at the President of Baseball Ops, Craig Breslow, and the CEO, Sam Kennedy. Since the Yankees' loss, they've assured fans that they're aware of how important this offseason is. Breslow went into specifics, saying the team needed a No. 2 starter and a middle-of-the-order bat. 

Sox fans dreamed of Joe Ryan and Pete Alonso. We got Sonny Gray and Wilson Contreras. 

As of Sunday morning, they remain the only team in Major League Baseball that has NOT signed a free agent. 

But I get it if you want to direct more of your anger at owner John Henry. This fucking guy was LIGHTING UP A VICTORY CIGAR when the team signed Bregman. Just 11 months later, he failed to sign him back, and his team is clearly watching every nickel and dime they spend on the roster. 

Now we're gonna get this bullshit. Bregman got a great deal - 5 / $175 is beyond any predictions that I saw. But I don't need to hear from the team that they really, really liked the player and how far they extended themselves to sign him. If they really wanted him, he'd be here; they're the Boston Red Sox, and they have the money. 

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Scott Boras confidant Jon Heyman reported that the Sox offer was around 5 years / $160.  

That's right - the Red Sox lost Alex Bregman over just $3 million a year. 

That's the headline here: That the Big Market Boston Red Sox - who will be valued at over $5 billion in the next few months - could not find the extra $3 million a year to sign a player they "loved." What a joke. 

How are fans supposed to take you seriously after lowballing Alonso and now missing out on bringing back the leader of your clubhouse???

Good for Bregman. His teammates love him. Alex Cora loves him. And now the Cubs and their fans will love him. 

Breslow has used that "window of contention" line so much that I've skipped over the fact that if you're the Red Sox, every year should be a year you're contending. They've failed to do that for so long, you just sort of forget.

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Giphy Images.

OKKKKKKKKKKKKKK, sure they will. Last I checked, he wanted like $300 million. You think the Red Sox are going to pay Bichette? I don't. And look, there are a lot of fans who prefer Bichette to Bregman - I was not one of them. You have a bunch of groundball pitchers, and no matter who you play at third, now, there'll be a defensive drop-off. 

The infield? Mayer at 3B? Story at SS? Rafaela at 2B and Contreras at 1B? Really? REALLY? 

Oh man, imagine this came out DURING Fan Fest yesterday? That would have been glorious. The Sox probably begged Boras to hold it til Saturday night. 

Fans are going to dream of Bichette. Or Kyle Tucker. I'm not playing that game. This team has shown us who they are now. 

There was a time the Red Sox would win at all costs. Those days a long gone. No, this version of the Red Sox misses out on key free agents by just millions of dollars a year. Or in the case of Alonso, make a shitty offer and call it "competitive."

The Devers move. Lowballing Alonso. Losing Bregman. It's been a hell of an offseason for a team in its window of contention.