Despite his fit with the Boston Red Sox, his embrace of the city and the changes the team made to accommodate him at third base, Alex Bregman will not return in 2025. This catastrophe is, unfortunately but expectedly, of the Red Sox's own making.
Bregman on January 10 signed a five-year, $175 million deal with the Chicago Cubs. Boston reportedly came up $10 million short in its offer to him — a ridiculous number considering he was lauded as a leader and proven winner by the front office on countless occasions. But the money is reportedly just one of the differences that led to the third baseman's departure.
The Cubs granted Bregman a full no-trade clause in his deal, and it isn't difficult to see why he'd demand such a thing. Months after the Red Sox shipped Rafael Devers out of town for a bag of balls and some peanuts, Bregman opted out of his contract with Boston, likely to negotiate some protection that Devers sorely missed out on.
The Red Sox, citing "organizational policy," according to Sean McAdam of MassLive, refused to extend Bregman a full no-trade clause (subscription required). Boston could've guessed that Bregman would demand one, given that he and his family with two young children sought a club he could play with for the rest of his career, and one seemingly does not get that in Boston without a no-trade clause at this point.
Red Sox refusing to extend Alex Bregman a full no-trade clause must be what pushed him to Chicago
Baseball is, first and foremost, a business, but the Red Sox have shown time and time again that they have no loyalty to any of their players — not even World Series champions under contract for 10 years. The tiff between Devers and leadership was reportedly started by the front office, but that wasn't enough to save him from exile to Northern California. Players have taken notice of the Mookie Betts trade, the ridiculous offer to Xander Bogaerts and now the Devers trade — those moves will deter players from signing with Boston in the future, and they probably already have.
The Red Sox's refusal to commit to what is needed to sign top-tier players will keep them in the basement of the American League East and out of the postseason, as it did for much of the last half-decade. Meeting Bregman's demands and signing him to the long-term contract he deserved would've been a great way for Boston to stay in fans' good graces, which it just barely started to earn back with his original signing.
Boston is no longer a premier destination for top free agents, and it's the team's own fault. Not only does it refuse to meet the market price for the best players available, it refuses to treat them like their commitment to the team and the city matters. That attitude and approach will leave you in last place every single time.