Red Sox's Alex Cora Hints At Need To Keep $120M Superstar In Boston

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It feels like Alex Bregman just signed with the Boston Red Sox, but the reality is that his time in their uniform is only guaranteed to last another 15 games.
Certainly, the Red Sox hope to play deep into the postseason, and when Bregman likely opts out, they'll be among the teams pursuing him. But there's always uncertainty in free agency, and one never knows what either team or player is thinking at the outset.
However, the Red Sox have been so complimentary of Bregman throughout the year that it's hard to envision them letting him leave without putting up an extraordinarily good fight. And the more we learn about Bregman's impact, the more we realize how painful it would be to see him leave.
Latest Alex Bregman anecdotes prove Boston can't lose him
On Thursday, Tim Healey of the Boston Globe chronicled Bregman's impact on the pitching staff this year, an exceptionally rare trait for any position player, even a three-time All-Star.
Within Healey's story (which is worth a read in full), there was a telling quote from manager Alex Cora that signified that the skipper knows how special it is to have a leader like Bregman in the clubhouse, and even hinted that the team couldn't afford to lose him.
“He knows everything about his teammates. There’s not too many of those," Cora told Healey. "I’m just happy that we’re getting a taste and that he’s here with us.”
Bregman was described in the story of having "a habit" of reaching out to pitchers individually with advice about their approaches and pitch mixes, in addition to meeting with pitching coach Andrew Bailey to go over opposing hitters before every series.
“I’ve never had that before,” veteran starter Lucas Giolito told Healey. “It’s really cool. It’s extremely helpful. It’s another layer of what he brings as a leader. He helps not just on the field, but helping the pitchers is great.”
Boston ponied up a three-year, $120 million deal for Bregman last offseason. It's going to take several more years to get a deal done this time, but based on the value he adds for other players, it's hard to argue any amount is too steep.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Boston Red Sox On SI, please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org