Red Sox needs continue to grow as Alex Bregman makes free agent decision

The Boston Red Sox's biggest-name internal free agent is heading elsewhere. On Saturday night, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported third baseman Alex Bregman is signing a five-year, $175 million contract with the Chicago Cubs.

Bregman, 31, signed with the Red Sox last spring on a three-year, $120 million contract that included opt outs following each season. After hitting .273 with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs 114 games this year, Bregman opted out of his contract in November just one season in.

According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive, the Red Sox were willing to offer Bregman a five-year deal. They came up short financially though, with Cotillo noting "they were outbid by the Cubs at that $175M mark."

This is the latest development in what has been a quiet offseason for the Red Sox in terms of player acquisition. As of Saturday night, they are the only team in Major League Baseball to not sign an MLB-level free agent this year. Their major additions have come via the trade market, in first baseman Wilson Contreras and pitcher Sonny Gray.

"I think it's just important to look at the facts," Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy said earlier in the day on Saturday, when asked about the team's lack of a free agent signing. "If you go back a year ago, this date last year, I believe our organization has taken on close to $500 million in contractual commitments to guys like Garrett Crochet, guys like Kristian Campbell, guys like Roman Anthony. So, that's just a fact."

"We've added $40 million in payroll through trades. That's just a fact," he added. "We cannot and do not try to control social media narrative. We understand that talk radio is ablaze with opinions and ideas. That's what makes this the best place in the world to be, to live, and to operate in baseball."

Bregman stepped in as the Red Sox third baseman last season and initially pushed Rafael Devers to the designated hitter spot, before he was traded in June. That trade came two years after Devers signed a 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension with the team, taking significant money off the team's payroll.

The Red Sox do still have Marcelo Mayer, who filled in at third base when Bregman missed time with an injury last year. Reports have also tied the Red Sox to free agents Bo Bichette and Eugenio Suarez.