For the second offseason in a row, Boston Red Sox fans are deeply invested in the club's pursuit of Alex Bregman. And for the second year running, it's been a drawn out, emotional rollercoaster of a chase.
After landing Bregman in spring training 2025, many fans are optimistic that a reunion is inevitable and cling to every bit of positive news in his market in hopes that Boston will do the right thing again. A report from ESPN's Buster Olney has been the latest fixation in the Bregman news cycle.
During a January 2 appearance on the "1st Up" podcast, Olney reported that the Red Sox made an "aggressive" offer to Bregman. Four days later, he followed his initial report with a rumored contract figure that Sox fans won't believe.
"The Boston Red Sox want Bregman and have signaled a willingness to pay him big money -- perhaps something in the range of what the Tigers offered him last spring, a six-year, $171.5 million deal," Olney wrote.
If the Red Sox made Alex Bregman an offer similar to the Tigers' from last season, he would've accepted by now
As nice as it would be to believe that Boston took the leap and made Bregman the type of offer he and his agent Scott Boras seek, Olney is the only major source to report such a development. Other experts have struggled to corroborate the news of an offer to Bregman — MLB insider Robert Murray of FanSided noted on the "Baseball Insiders" podcast that he hasn't been able to verify the offer himself. Red Sox fans have grown to hold Murray's word in high esteem after he broke the news of the Rafael Devers trade in June.
Not only have very few other reliable sources even mentioned the alleged offer, if it existed, Bregman probably would've accepted it by now. He sought a deal in the five-or-six year range last winter and he already has $40 million coming from Boston after the first year of his bridge deal. A $150-175 million deal in the timeframe Olney reported is exactly what Bregman is rumored to be asking for, and after he fit so well with the team last year, such an offer would complete a reunion easily.
As Murray mentioned during the podcast, this is not to discredit Olney. The Red Sox's many trades from earlier this offseason have come with little to no warning or hype before the moves. Craig Breslow could be very good at keeping his intentions and offers under wraps, and Bregman could be weighing the Sox's alleged aggressive offer against other teams.
For now, though, take the report with a grain of salt. If the Red Sox suddenly became willing to meet all of Bregman's expectations after months of back-and-forth, the deal would be done quickly.