Sox foiled after 'falling short' in Bregman pursuit

The Boston Red Sox entered this offseason with the clear priority of re-signing third baseman Alex Bregman, but they now must adjust elsewhere after the three-time All-Star accepted a more lucrative offer -- with a no-trade clause -- from the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.

Bregman took a five-year, $175 million offer from the Cubs that includes a full no-trade clause and no opt-outs, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan. That's just a little more than the Red Sox were willing to go, as their offer topped out at $165 million, with major deferrals, sources told ESPN's Buster Olney, and didn't include a no-trade clause, according to multiple reports.

"Any time you are active in trying to bring a player in, it's disappointing to lose out," Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told MassLive in an email interview on Sunday. "We do this job because we are competitive and we want to deliver a championship to our fans, and falling short in a pursuit is an obstacle to that."

When asked about the impact of the no-trade clause in negotiations, Breslow said it "would be foolish and unfair for me to guess" what kept Bregman from returning to the Red Sox.

"Without getting into the specifics of the negotiation, Alex and his family earned the right to decide where they want to spend the next 5 years of his career, and while we had hoped it would be here, we respect the right they've earned."

Bregman, 31, opted out of a $40 million player option with the Red Sox to hit free agency again after his first foray as a free agent last year. He got off to a fast start in Boston, hitting .299/.385/.553 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs before suffering a quad injury that sidelined him from May 24 to July 11.

He was praised for his veteran leadership on a young Red Sox team that lost in three games to the New York Yankees in the American League Wild Card Series.

"I am not going to gloss over the impact that Alex had on our season," Breslow told MassLive. "He is a great player with a strong leadership presence in our clubhouse. But this job requires balancing long and short term interests and making the best decisions for the organization, difficult as they be.

"It means losing out on good players sometimes. However, while we will enter the '26 season with different personnel, there will be no less resolve to compete for the division and make a deep post season run. I believe in the group we have while we keep working to find ways to add to it. Our goal is to deliver to our fans, the season that they deserve."