Red Sox Blasted For Ranger Suárez-Alex Bregman 'Miscalculation'

It appears as though not everyone is a fan of the Boston Red Sox’s deal with one-time All-Star starting pitcher Ranger Suárez.

First and foremost, if you're a Red Sox fan, you should be excited about what Suárez brings to the table. He may not have as big a name as guys like Framber Valdez and Dylan Cease, who joined Suárez as free agents this offseason at the top of the pitching market, but he's someone who is going to help this organization into contention in the American League. For a rotation that already is good with guys like Sonny Gray and Brayan Bello behind Garrett Crochet, Suárez immediately becomes the clear-cut No. 2 option, which shows how good he is. He had a 3.20 ERA in 26 starts in 2025 for the Philadelphia Phillies and his advanced metrics were off the charts.

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If he can stay healthy -- which is obviously a big "if" for pitchers -- he can be a star in Boston. While this is the case, ESPN's Buster Olney ripped the team calling the five-year, $130 million deal a "miscalculation" in the wake of losing Alec Bregman to the Chicago Cubs while reporting that the net present value of the deal actually was higher than what Boston offered the third baseman.

The Red Sox still have a bit of work to do

"In the end, the Red Sox offered more money to Ranger Suarez ($130m present day value) than they offered Alex Bregman (closer to $120m NPV) over five-year deals," Olney wrote. "Given what Bregman was to their team and clubhouse last year, his unique two-way skills in a market that paid Pete Alonso $155m and Schwarber $150m, that makes no sense. Major miscalculation."

The point about the net present value is intriguing. It had been reported that there were heavy deferrals in Boston's offer to Bregman, but if the offer really did have a lower value than Suárez's, that's not the best.

Suárez is a legit star and will help the club. If the Red Sox can add another infielder -- Ketel Marte would be a dream pickup -- it would quiet the loss of Bregman. Suárez's deal arguably is a fair value for what he will bring to town. But this report from Olney does make the Bregman look worse. Two things can be true. Suárez coming to town is a good thing and the deal arguably is fair. But it does also paint a more negative picture for the Bregman negotiations. If the Red Sox add another infielder, it will make the loss of Bregman easier to deal with for the organization.

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