With the Red Sox season now over, attention shifts to the future of third baseman Alex Bregman in Boston. The veteran can opt out of the final two years of his contract, and it’s a “near certainty” Bregman will do just that, according to a report by MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand on Saturday.

Bregman has two years left on the three-year, $120 million deal he signed with Boston last offseason. He’s set to make $80 million over the next two seasons, but opt-outs were built in to give Bregman and his agent, Scott Boras, the flexibility to find a longer term contract.

It was reported throughout the season that Bregman would likely make use of his opt out this winter, so Saturday’s report should come as no surprise. Bregman also made it sound like he was intent on opting out after Boston’s postseason run ended with a loss to the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the Wild Card round last Thursday night.

“Obviously, this sucks right now. This is brutal. We envisioned winning tonight and making a deep run, but I’m proud of the fight in the room. I’m proud of the guys. It was an honor to put on this jersey,” Bregman said after Game 3 in New York.

Bregman could opt out to gauge interest around the league in hopes of landing a longer term deal at the age of 32. He may not get the $40 million per season he’s opting out of, but could land more total money over more years. 

A return to Boston to play under manager Alex Cora isn’t being ruled out — and some AL executives believe it’s the most likely outcome for Bregman. 

“I think he thinks there is unfinished business there,” an AL executive told Feinsand. “They could restructure something longer-term.”

The Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs both made offers to Bregman last offseason and are expected to jump into the mix if Bregman opts out after the World Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle Mariners are other teams that could join the Bregman sweepstakes this winter, according to Feinsand.

Alex Bregman’s 2025 season

Bregman was one of Boston’s most impactful players during the first half of the season and was named to his third career All-Star team. But he missed seven weeks in the middle of the season with a quad injury, and hit just .250 with a .724 OPS and seven homers over his final 63 games. He hit just .203 for Boston after Aug. 17, though Bregman went 3-for-10 with a double and an RBI in his three games during the Red Sox’ Wild Card round loss to the Yankees.

Overall for the season, Bregman slashed .273/.365/.481 to go with 18 home runs and 62 RBI over 114 games for Boston.

Matt Geagan

Matthew Geagan is a sports producer for CBS Boston. He has been part of the WBZ sports team for nearly 20 years. He moved over to the web in 2012 and has covered all the highs (and a few lows) in Boston sports.