Red Sox's Reported Alex Bregman Offer Raises Red Flag

The Boston Red Sox lost the Alex Bregman sweepstakes after months of noise insinuating that the All-Star third baseman was the team's priority.

There were other teams out there all offseason, like the Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Toronto Blue Jays. But Boston consistently was tabbed as the favorite for him. The Red Sox have a great young core and seem to be just one piece away from really contending.

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But, it appears that money got in the way. After reports surfaced about Bregman agreeing to terms on a five-year, $175 million deal, MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo reported that Boston was willing to go to five years, but was outbid. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that "word out there" was that the Red Sox came in around $160 million.

Boston needs another bat

"I think most people felt that Boston had the inside track," Heyman said. "He had a great year there. They were very happy with him. Had an .821 OPS and certainly was great in the clubhouse. I think that's the reason all of these teams wanted him. Toronto and Arizona too. Played kind of (Kyle Schwarber) in terms of the clubhouse, where that has a big value...

"(The Cubs) offered more money," Heyman continued when asked what the biggest difference this offseason was. "Last year, they didn't offer enough money. Detroit was the high bidder at $171.5 (million)...Word was out there was that Boston was in around $160 million, maybe some deferred. But around $160 million. People figured he'd like to go back."

If this is the case, it's another tough look. First and foremost, there's the Rafael Devers component. Boston brought in Bregman, which caused drama with the expected face of the franchise, which then led to a trade. Boston offloaded Devers' contract, so if the Red Sox really missed out on Bregman over $15 million, they could've afforded it. It's also worse when you think about the fact that a five-year, $160 million deal is worth $32 million per year. A five-year, $175 million deal is worth $35 million per year, a difference of $3 million annually.

In free agency as a whole, this has been the trend of the offseason. Boston publicly has been interested in a few guys -- Kyle Schwarber, Pete Alonso, and Bregman, among others. The Red Sox spoke often about needing an elite slugger. They missed on Schwarber. Philadelphia made it clear that Schwarber was a priority and made an offer that probably will be too high in the long term, but got its guy back to town. Then, they missed on Alonso and reports showed that Boston offered less money and fewer years. Now, Bregman leaves seemingly because Boston didn't meet the market, like with Alonso.

At the end of the day, maybe Boston played the market right in the long term. When Bregman is 35 years old, will he be a $35 million per year player? Probably not. But he is right now. Boston has added talent this offseason, but in free agency specifically, it has missed.

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