Alex Bregman signed a three-year, $120 million contract with the Boston Red Sox.
At his introductory press conference, he assured that his decision was driven by more than just a lucrative offer.
“I’m a winning player. This is a winning organization,” Bregman declared on Sunday, emphasizing that his choice was rooted in the team’s potential to finally win — a feat that has eluded them in recent years.
“Those players are winning players,” he continued, referring to his Red Sox teammates. “We have winning coaches here. I plan on winning here after talking with some of the guys over the last two days. I can see that there’s something special here.”
Bregman, who once was drafted in the 29th round by Boston in 2012 before opting to go to college — before then being drafted No. 2 overall by Houston coming out of LSU in 2015 — spent the last nine seasons with the Astros.
Bregman arrives in Boston having won two World Series in Houston, along with being named an All-Star twice.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow explained the organization’s strategy, saying, “We entered the offseason with a pretty clearly defined punch list of things that we were hoping to achieve. We talked about adding to the top of our rotation, rebuilding our whole pen, improving our infield defense, and adding a right-handed bat to balance out our lineup.
“And as the offseason progressed, it just became clearer and clearer that Alex was the perfect fit for what we were trying to accomplish.”
Bregman chose the Red Sox after also being pursued by the Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs.
Red Sox Manager Alex Cora discussed Bregman’s versatility, stating, “He can play second, he can play short, he can play third. He’s going to help us.”
Bregman has hit at least 23 home runs in each of the last three seasons, and he has recorded 93, 98 and 75 RBIs over the course of those campaigns.
Bregman, a career .272 hitter, has hovered around .260 since 2022, and while he hasn’t been an All-Star since 2019, he has remained an impactful everyday contributor when healthy.