Remember when the Boston Red Sox signed Alex Bregman to a three-year, $120 million contract -- good for a monstrous $40 million AAV -- and the discourse about the deal largely focused on the Red Sox's desperation?
It's safe to say those initial opinions were a bit overblown, as Bregman is feasting in his first season in Boston. As expected, he's making Fenway Park his own personal sandbox, taking advantage of the Green Monster the way he once bullied the Crawford Boxes in Houston.
Among all qualified Red Sox hitters this season, Bregman leads the pack in wRC+ (165), fWAR (2.4), OPS (.955), batting average (.303), and is tied for first (with Wilyer Abreu) in home runs (11). Even the most optimistic prognosticators couldn't have foreseen such a hot start coming.
Of course, the only reason Bregman ended up in Boston is because the Houston Astros were unwilling to extend him at the price he and agent Scott Boras sought, consequentially getting slapped with the qualifying offer which depressed his market.
With no qualifying offer threatening his profile this time around, is Bregman just using Boston as a means to get back to free agency?
Scott Boras raises questions about Alex Bregman's future with Red Sox
Bregman's three-year deal came with a giant asterisk when he originally signed it, as the contract was structured with opt-outs after each season, effectively rendering the agreement a year-by-year pact.
Now, Boras is back to remind Red Sox fans that for every home run Bregman hits, it only makes him look more attractive to other teams.
Boras appeared on a May 20 episode of NESN's "310 to Left" podcast, and he did at leave the door open for an extension.
“Alex and Reagan (Bregman's wife) have to make those decisions about how they would want to entertain any actions by the Red Sox,” Boras said. “My philosophy is that I always leave that an open door."
Of course, as he so often does, the super-agent was sure to light a fire at both ends of the candlestick, reminding fans that Bregman won't have to settle for a below-market deal without a qualifying offer attached to him:
"The qualifying offer limits the markets for really great players. We’ve seen with (Matt) Chapman, with (Blake) Snell, with (Carlos) Correa, when you remove the qualifying offer, the true value of the player is then exhibited in the market, because there are vastly more teams involved in the free agent negotiation because great free agent players come to you and you also get to reserve your draft pick.”
Bregman, 31, won't just waltz into a $200 million deal thanks to his age and up-and-down track record. And it's more than likely that he'll give the Red Sox preferential treatment in any contract talks given the success he's having in Boston this year.
However, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. off the market, Bregman could instantly become one of the best free agents available by opting out of his deal. If he keeps this level of production up, he'd arguably be the best player available, non-Kyle Tucker division.
For now, all of this is just posturing and speculation by Boras, but as an agent who rarely lets his star players agree to extensions, Red Sox fans should take careful notice of how Bregman talks about the franchise throughout the season.