Alex Bregman signed a big contract with the Boston Red Sox in February, and he very nearly ended up with a different American League team.
Bregman signed a 3-year, $120 million contract with the Red Sox on Feb. 12. He had received a 6-year, $171.5 million offer from the Detroit Tigers that included deferred money but turned it down.
Bregman joined the “Foul Territory” show for an interview on Wednesday and said he thought he was headed to Detroit until the last minute.
“We thought we were going to be at Detroit the entire time, honestly. And then at the last second, Boston kind of came in,” Bregman told the hosts.
“It was kind of crazy,” Bregman said of the free agency process. “Honestly, met with a lot of teams. Everything just happened in the last 30 minutes. It was kind of rapid fire. We thought we were going somewhere else the entire time. And then in like the last 30 minutes, we talked to Boston and a deal got done. It was definitely different than I expected, but it was a good process. I’m super thankful to be here.”
Alex Bregman thought he was going to Detroit until the Red Sox swooped in at the last minute.
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) March 19, 2025
"We thought we were going somewhere else the entire time." pic.twitter.com/R5ePMPvs55
Bregman signing with Boston came as a surprise to many, mostly because the Red Sox already had Rafael Devers at third base. Devers has since agreed to serve as a designated hitter.
Bregman batted .260 with 26 home runs and 75 RBIs in 145 games with the Houston Astros last season. His best season came in 2019 when he batted .296 with 41 home runs, 112 RBIs and had an OPS of 1.015. Bregman finished second in AL MVP voting that season.
Bregman turns 31 on March 30. Last year he was awarded the Gold Glove for the first time in his career.
