The Boston Red Sox have lost Alex Bregman this offseason after the veteran infielder left to sign with the Chicago Cubs. MLB.com reported on Jan. 10, citing multiple sources, that Bregman signed a five-year contract worth $175 million.
With Boston letting Bregman slip away and then trading away Rafael Devers as part of signing the veteran because the now San Francisco Giants star didn’t want to switch positions, the Red Sox lost two key pieces in less than a year.
As a result, Dave Portnoy didn’t hold back his criticism of the Red Sox ownership for how they are running the team and not looking to spend big to keep key players like Bregman.
“The Red Sox [and] John Henry,” Portnoy said to start his rant on the current state of the Red Sox during the Jan. 12 edition of “Wake Up Barstool.” “What they did, Rafael Devers, who is supposedly the face of the franchise, they have locked up forever. They bring in Bregman to play third base. Don’t tell Devers. Devers gets mad. Devers gets shipped out. They get Bregman for a cup of coffee. He signs with the Cubs.
“John Henry is the worst human alive right now. The fact that they own the Red Sox, they don’t care about them. Fenway Sports Group, get these guys out of here. Sell the team. You don’t care about the team. You treat us like we’re the Minnesota Twins or some small-market team. Get John Henry out of here.”
Red Sox Ownership Gets More Criticism
Portnoy isn’t the only one calling out Red Sox ownership for the failure to bring Bregman back to Boston. On the Jan. 12 edition of “Foul Territory,” former Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon was asked whether Boston was overconfident in this process for not believing the other offers that Bregman had.
“I don’t know if you all had Scott Boras as an agent or not, but when Scott Boras comes back, and he tells you, I got five for 175, or I got seven for 250, or I got nine for 350, you believe him,” Papelbon said. “And then you go about your business accordingly to what he says.”
Can the Red Sox Afford to Pursue Plan B?
With Bregman now gone, the Red Sox must look to Plan B, and Bo Bichette emerges as the top option at third base. The young infielder has proven he can perform on the biggest stage, including the World Series, but WEEI’s Rob Bradford raises doubts about whether Boston is willing to meet his contract demands.
“This was Plan A, with the backup plan being a little bit uncomfortable,” Bradford said about the Red Sox losing Bregman in a video posted on X on Jan. 11. “There was a reason why Alex Bregman was the Plan A, because just like last year, he checked off a ton of boxes.
“There was a reason he was that guy. Now you’re left with chasing the Bo Bichette market, which is uncomfortable for a lot of reasons, and gets you in a world that you certainly won’t be comfortable with, it seems.”
Dave Portnoy Doesn’t Hold Back on Red Sox After Alex Bregman Exit