In massive short-term commitment to Alex Bregman, Red Sox show they’re serious again

If Wednesday night signaled the twilight of one American League juggernaut's run, the Red Sox are hoping it also marked the resurgence of another. 

Boston, having missed out on the playoffs each of the past three years and five of the past six seasons, landed a player who has known nothing but winning throughout that time. Alex Bregman, a symbol of both Houston's hegemony and ignominy over the past nine years, will be wearing a different big-league uniform for the first time in 2025. 

Bregman and the Red Sox reportedly agreed to a three-year deal worth $120 million which includes deferrals, an important note considering the otherwise massive short-term commitment from a longtime powerhouse franchise that had failed to act as one in recent years. The move, expensive as it might be over the next few years, is the act of a Boston team doing what's necessary to be taken seriously again and put itself in a position to return to prominence in one of the most perilous divisions in the sport after finishing in last place in the AL East three times in the past five years. 

For all that Bregman provides with his bat and his glove, his leadership and magnetism in a clubhouse should also be a boon for a youthful club that needed both star power and direction as a host of top prospects in Boston begin to embark on their MLB careers. 

Over the past seven years, Bregman has been worth the second-most wins above replacement among all MLB third basemen, behind only José Ramírez. He's no longer producing the offensive numbers that made him a two-time All-Star, 7-9 WAR player and top-five MVP finisher in 2019 and 2020, but he remains one of the best players at his position. Bregman's expert plate discipline and stout defense at the hot