The crescendo to the Boston Red Sox’s busy offseason came Wednesday night when reports emerged that Alex Bregman was headed to Boston.
All prior reports indicated the Red Sox’s front office was, at best, divided on Bregman and, at worst, cautious to spend any significant money on the third baseman. Suddenly, reports rolled in that the Red Sox had an offer with an AAV more than $10 million above their competition.
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The deal, at this time, is not official. Red Sox manager Alex Cora was asked Thursday about a photo posted by Linda Pizzuti, wife of Red Sox owner John Henry, that showed the billionaire smoking a cigar by a fireplace shortly after the news of the Bregman deal broke. Unable to speak publicly on the unofficial deal, Cora responded by jokingly attributing the cigar to Henry’s frustration over a missed call in an English Premier League match between Everton and Liverpool.
The awkward window of time between the reports of the signing and the team’s official announcement appears to be closing soon.
“Red Sox players expect Alex Bregman to arrive in Fort Myers (Thursday),” Chris Cotillo of MassLive tweeted.
Cora and Bregman have remained close for years after Cora served as bench coach for the Houston Astros in 2017. Multiple reports indicate Cora was consistent in vocalizing his desire for the team to acquire Bregman.
The manager not only gets an old friend in the clubhouse, but the Red Sox now have a new piece of their leadership core the team so desperately needed.
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