The 2025 offseason was the first offseason in years that it felt like the Boston Red Sox's front office and ownership group were fully buying into the team. The young core that had been coming together over the previous few season was finally supplemented with high end talent.
First, it was the trade for Garrett Crochet, giving the team the top of the rotation arm they had been missing since Chris Sale's last fully healthy season in Boston. Then it was the signing of Alex Bregman, a playoff-tested, veteran third baseman who was going to lead all the young players. The signing of Bregman, just before the start of spring training, truly made it feel like this team was going to compete.
Bregman made his debut in 2016 with the Houston Astros. In 2017, the third baseman's first full season, they made the playoffs, and they never missed it during his tenure there. From 2017-24, the 31-year-old played in meaningful postseason action every season, racking up 99 games to the tune of a .789 OPS. Eight straight trips to October, including four trips to the World Series and two rings. In 2025, that streak extends to nine.
Nine straight playoff appearances is the invaluable experience Alex Bregman brings to the Red Sox
“To be able to go back to the postseason with this group of guys in here has been really special and I’ve loved every second of it. … To be able to go out there and play in this uniform is an honor and I don’t take it for granted.”
— NESN (@NESN) September 27, 2025
Alex Bregman on Year 1 in Boston 🙌 pic.twitter.com/RlaBzT5SeR
The second Bregman stepped into the Red Sox clubhouse down in Fort Myers, he was a mentor. It quickly became known that his locker was right next to Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kristian Campbell's, so he could help mentor them. He even took a 90-minute bus trip with the young players during spring training, something veterans rarely do.
Of course, his bat and his defense were what got the Sox to sign him; nobody's paying $40 million a year for just a mentor, but the bonus of all the experience and success he'd had in his career to that point only sweetened the deal. Now, he'll be one of just four hitters with any postseason experience on the Red Sox (Nathaniel Lowe, Trevor Story, and Rob Refsnyder are the others), and one of two to have played in the postseason in the 2020s.
It's exactly why the Sox brought Bregman to Boston. They knew that this team needed someone who's been there before. They had an influx of young players already at the club with more coming, and they needed the grizzled vet to help lead them. It may not have been a perfect season for the righty, but in October is where he shines. Now he will really get to show why he was worth the contract the Sox gave him.