Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy spoke with reporters down in Fort Myers on Sunday, as the club and its retooled offensive lineup reconvened for the start of spring training. Chief among the topics was not the players that were there, but the most notable player that wasn’t there.
Asked about the departure of third baseman Alex Bregman, Kennedy implied at one point that Bregman didn’t really want to stay in Boston. Bregman ultimately left to sign a five-year, $175 million deal with the Chicago Cubs after just one season with the Red Sox, while the latter’s offer was for the same term but for $165M. “Real disappointment in the organization today,” reported Buster Olney.
“We’re so grateful to Alex Bregman and what he meant to us,” Kennedy said. “But look, when you have choices the way he did, you work really hard to become a free agent and perform at that level, he chose a different path, and we wish him well. We look forward to seeing him at the end of the season at Fenway.”
Asked a follow-up about whether the Cubs’ willingness to include a full no-trade clause led to Bregman leaving the Red Sox, Kennedy replied: “If Alex Bregman wanted to be here, ultimately he’d be here.”
It’s a disingenuous comment by Kennedy.
There are levels to “wanting” to be with a certain ballclub, especially when considering the business side of it. Bregman obviously liked Boston enough to come here in the first place, then try to negotiate a new deal in good faith. But he wasn’t married to Boston, which is entirely understandable. If he only wanted to return to the Red Sox at the right price for the right terms, that’s just called being a professional athlete. There’s no reason for the Red Sox to assume Bregman would just sign their contract without even exploring the market, especially considering Kennedy seemed to know he was working toward a return to free agency all along.
It’s not that Bregman didn’t want to stay in Boston. It’s that he didn’t want to stay on their terms. And he’s not obligated to do so. He never was. Kennedy was likely just explaining away the failures of his own front office to close the deal, and/or the restrictions placed on them by ownership that prevent such deals from being struck.
Evidence: the Red Sox turned around and gave Ranger Suarez a five-year contract in the range of Bregman’s deal with the Cubs, with no deferred money, seemingly no strings attached at all. Why so loose and aggressive with your money now?
Chalk it up to the Red Sox messing around with the contract of a player that made a real difference both on and off the field, and getting bit. Bregman would’ve remained instrumental in maintaining a culture of confidence in delivering a winning baseball product. Now, they have to rely on Caleb Durbin and/or Marcelo Mayer, two guys coming off their first seasons in the big leagues, to produce like Bregman did on the field. There’s certainly upside there, but Bregman provided value to the Red Sox that you can’t quantify and can’t be extracted the same way from players that just got to the majors.
Instead of showing how much they value Bregman’s total package, Kennedy blamed him for taking the better deal. The Red Sox may yet have another good season, considering they should have one of the best pitching staffs in the American League and play better defense. But if and when they come up short in October, the way they handled Bregman will be an easy thing to point to as a reason.
Matt, a North Andover, Massachusetts native, has been with The Sports Hub since 2010. Growing up the son of Boston University All-American and Melrose High School hall-of-fame hockey player Steve Dolloff, sports was always a part of his life. After attending Northeastern University, Matt focused his love of sports on writing, extensively writing about all four major Boston teams. He also is a co-host of the Sports Hub Underground podcast and is a regular on-air contributor on the Sports Hub. Matt writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.