Report: Pair Of Red Sox Legends Played Key Roles In $120 Million Alex Bregman Deal

Sometimes, franchise icons can continue their influence on an organization years after they stop holding their posts.

The Boston Red Sox demonstrated that in spades with their recruitment of Alex Bregman, who officially signed a three-year, $120 million contract with the Red Sox over the weekend.

In addition to the tireless work of Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow and encouragement from manager Alex Cora, there were some other Red Sox legends who were key in the team's ability to land their new Gold Glove infielder.

Dustin Pedroia was once the Red Sox's dirt dog second baseman and the American League's Most Valuable Player. Theo Epstein was the architect behind the curse-breaking 2004 World Series team as general manager, but he spent nearly 13 years away from the organization before accepting an advisory role in 2024.

In a report released Monday, insider Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic spelled out how Pedroia and Epstein each made a major impact on Boston's successful pursuit of the two-time All-Star Bregman.

Pedroia, one of Bregman's favorite players growing up, sent a "flurry" of recruiting texts to the former Astros star throughout the offseason per McCaffrey. The Red Sox icon sent a text to The Athletic detailing his conversations with Bregman prior to the signing.

“I honestly just told him the facts,” Pedroia's text read. “I just spoke to him a few times about Boston and my experiences and how great the people are and the city and how great the fans are. How it’s the best place to play and he would be a huge part going forward if that’s what he wanted.”

McCaffrey also detailed how Epstein advised Bregman throughout the negotiation process, a role that was best described by a quote included in the story from Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy.

“Theo was really, really helpful and provided counsel along the way that helped us think about different deal structures and also ripping up different deal structures when they don’t work,” Kennedy said. “I really think it helped Bres in terms of, you’re talking about perhaps the best negotiator in the history of baseball agents, and Bres is still a year and a half, two years on the job.”

Ultimately, Epstein let Breslow make the final call. But there will be plenty of Red Sox fans who attribute a huge portion of the credit to both Epstein and Pedroia. And it's frankly hard to blame them.

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