The inspirational story of Ryan Fitzgerald
It has been just about eight months since Alex Bregman officially became a Red Sox.
It was back on that mid-February day in Fort Myers when Bregman sat alongside his agent, Scott Boras, to explain his intent, excitement, and motivation when it came to joining the Red Sox on a three-year, $120 million.
That was then, this is now. It's a reality Boras brought forth when talking to WEEI.com from his Angel Stadium seats this week.
A season-long introduction has taken place.
"The leadership value to the Red Sox has obviously been huge. Houston knew what that was. The Red Sox, when they got chapter and verse for what that meant to them, they have more of a precise nature for what that means with or without the player on the team," Boras said. "I would imagine it definitely is more defined for them."
It has been defined. And that's why the conversation regarding Bregman's future with the Red Sox continues to be top of mind for the team's followers.
The third baseman is living under a deal that allows him to opt out after either of his first two years. And while Bregman has routinely expressed his love for his new surroundings, few would blame him for using the contract clause (which was what allowed the Red Sox to seal the deal back in February) to secure a longer-term deal.
As of July, conversations regarding a contract extension hadn't taken place, and, according to Boras, there is no expectation that the two sides will engage in talks prior to the offseason.
"We’re at the point now where you wait until the offseason and see what transpires," the agent explained. "Obviously, I think he’s very open about it. He has enjoyed it there. The team has more defined promise than it did a year ago. With free agency, you have to see how things go."
Boras added, "I think Alex has been clear that he is in playoff mode, performance mode. He wants to just to focus on that. He had to come back from his injury and do the things he is doing. That’s kind of where it's at."
And while Bregman's numbers have taken a bit of a downturn since returning from a quadriceps injury that kept him out seven months, it's difficult to imagine this new Red Sox foundation without the 31-year-old.
It's a dynamic that Boras isn't blind to when contemplating his client's future.
"They’ve got a couple of great players at very discounted prices by signing them young in their careers," he said, referencing recent contract extensions given to Garrett Crochet, Aroldis Chapman and Roman Anthony. "Normally, when organizations get that … Plus there are other young players coming. They all need championship leadership. When you go back and look at what makes teams successful you go find players who are quality enough at the All-Star level but also have championship leadership and experience which benefits the growth of so many young players. I would certainly thing the foundation of the Red Sox is in a much more defined position than it was a year ago."
As Boras also points out, there will also be another different dynamic on the horizon: Bregman would not have a qualifying offer attached to him if he chooses free agency.
Part of signing a player like Bregman necessitated surrendering a draft pick since he had a qualifying offer attached. While many would suggest the value of this level of player is worth paying this price, there is a reluctance by some organizations to allocate both money and the draft pick compensation for free agents.
It is clear Boras views the changed dynamic this time around as a potential difference-maker.
"The qualifying offer for (Pete) Alonzo or (Matt) Chapman or (Blake) Snell, teams have gotten together and said for a 30-or-whatever-year-old player and said we’re not going to give them a long-term contract we would normally give because we’re not going to give up the draft pick and the long-term," he said. "Now that that is over with, obviously, it’s much easier for teams to plan and look at how they sign their players because there is no detriment to it. It’s only a positive add.
"I can tell you in Chapman’s case, Snell’s case, Correa’s case, the minute the qualifying offer was gone the market expanded probably from a couple of teams wanting to do short-term to 10 or 15 teams wanting to do long-term contracts. We saw that in every case."
So, will Bregman be the latest Boras client to experience the qualifying-offer-less free agent opportunity? Neither the player or his agent are tipping their hand.
What we do know is what kind of fit Bregman seems to be for this organization ... both for the current season and the ones to come.
"When you’re on the inside of Alex Bregman and you know who he is, none of this is a surprise to me," Boras said. "People are wildly dismissive of it because of the fact you always hear what a great player is going to do, but until you see it unfold … In his case we can talk about someone coming in and being an addition because of his skill, but usually their skill is 90 percent of the addition. But in this case you get the extra 100 percent to go with the 90 percent because the leadership is that much of a jewel to so many different players, whether they’re international players or whether they’re young American players coming up through the system. They all relate to him. They all understand him. So consequentially, you’ve got an academic environment with an athletic environment that creates very rare results."