Does adding Bregman make the Red Sox championship contenders? Did Bregman want to come to Boston? 'Baseball Brett' joins!

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00:00With the signing of Alex Bregman, a three-year, $120 million deal,

00:08Wiggy says they are the next to win.

00:11Weighing in on this,

00:13the best that we can offer when it comes to this show for an expert,

00:17the great baseball Brett.

00:19Good morning, Brett.

00:20Good morning. How are we?

00:22Well, how are you, more importantly?

00:25Yeah, it's just amazing when you actually spend a little money,

00:29what happens to the outlook of your season.

00:32Did you want Bregman, though?

00:34I forget the last time we talked to you,

00:36if you were on board with that or not.

00:39I was just kind of in the camp that I didn't think they were going to

00:43extend themselves to get them.

00:44So I was just kind of, you know what I mean?

00:48I was just kind of set it.

00:49I didn't really care.

00:50I just wanted them to win Coco.

00:52Like I said,

00:53I think a sustained winner is how you get people back.

00:57And I think he's,

00:58I think he was the easiest and most logical component to building a

01:02winning team.

01:03Right.

01:04So they extended themselves, not on years, but on money.

01:07I just didn't think they were going to put the financial,

01:09that financial offer in front of him.

01:11And I knew what he was expecting.

01:13So I just didn't think they were going to,

01:15I didn't think they were going to extend themselves.

01:17That's all.

01:18So I was just kind of aligned to think, ah,

01:20they're just not going to extend themselves.

01:21But in this case,

01:23When it comes to those and I would include various of us on this show

01:28who have been whining about John Henry, not spending money.

01:33I mean, you had to be, whatever the number is,

01:36$10 million a season above everybody else.

01:39And you had to commit $40 million this cup,

01:42this upcoming season to Alex Bregman.

01:45So at least in this case, they they're in.

01:48Yeah.

01:50They're in the bar was really low, right?

01:52Curtis talks about it all the time.

01:53The bar is really low in terms of the spending.

01:55And they just vaulted themselves up.

01:58We kind of, we kind of crap on John Henry and his spending.

02:03But I said it last year,

02:05they were around the 11th to 12th top spending team in the league.

02:10Okay.

02:11This contract alone gets them into five, six,

02:14just this one contract puts them into the top five or six,

02:18depending on a few things.

02:22So you can crap on John Henry and their lack of spending and all that,

02:26but they were still 11 or 12 in all of baseball last year.

02:30This one move gets them up there.

02:32And now it puts them directly into the conversation of championship,

02:37you know, playoffs championship.

02:39The one move moves there over under up a two,

02:43a two game complete,

02:45complete shift from 84 and a half wins in the betting market to 86,

02:49just by this one signing overnight.

02:51As soon as that deal was announced,

02:53they went up to two full wins.

02:55And Brett doesn't,

02:56doesn't it really like kind of people look at it as spending,

03:00but in the world of baseball,

03:02it's really not because they give themselves a good position to get out.

03:07If he wants that 200 plus million dollar deal,

03:11which he kind of originally wanted where it seems like they're getting

03:16away from those contracts,

03:18unless the guy is like elite level or he has to kind of like Blake

03:23Snell, prove it type of art.

03:26Now we'll give you 200 million.

03:28Yeah.

03:29But the thing about the MLB contracts where he is that they're guaranteed.

03:33Okay.

03:34So the player goes out there and he sucks.

03:36He's not opting out.

03:37So that's a real one 20,

03:39right?

03:40So in,

03:41in football,

03:42you can cut them.

03:43If he's not what you want,

03:44you cut them.

03:45You take a salary cap hit,

03:46but you can get rid of the player in major league baseball.

03:50You can't do that.

03:51Okay.

03:52So if he goes out there this year and doesn't perform,

03:54he's not going to opt out.

03:56And he's now got two more years at $40 million a year left on their

04:00payroll.

04:01So this is real money for the Red Sox for the player.

04:04He's taking a little bit of a risk.

04:06He wanted to come to Boston.

04:07He's good friends with Walker Bueller.

04:09He wanted to come to Boston.

04:11This was his preferred destination.

04:12If the money matched up,

04:13he was going to come to Boston.

04:15Boston is a premier place for free agents to come.

04:18And this is a premier place for him to hit.

04:20He's got great numbers,

04:21but this is all financial risk for the Red Sox.

04:24This is all of one 20 for the Red Sox.

04:26He was a player.

04:27Doesn't perform.

04:28Scott Boris is not opting out.

04:29But what if he performs?

04:30What if he performs really well?

04:32Is there a chance that he would,

04:34he would opt out and ask for more money.

04:36And that would be their way of like,

04:38okay,

04:39we now will go in a different direction and he'll go get his 200

04:43Oh,

04:44they would get killed for that.

04:45But if they're expecting when it comes to prospects,

04:47those guys are ready to go in a year,

04:50then they're,

04:51they're basically there.

04:52I like it.

04:53Cause they're saying,

04:54we'll pay you the 40 million.

04:55Okay.

04:56Let's see what we do this year.

04:57Garrett Cole just did that.

04:58He had a great year.

04:59He opted out and the Yankees resigned him.

05:01And that's the way.

05:02But see,

05:03Curtis,

05:04the Yankees didn't resign them.

05:05See Garrett Cole,

05:06Garrett Cole misplayed his hand.

05:07He tried to have the Yankees tack on two more years of his contract,

05:11because that was a provision in his contract and the Yankees call them on it.

05:15They resigned him to his original contract.

05:17Didn't tack on two more years because he had inflammation in his elbow this

05:21year.

05:22So Garrett Cole tried to do that,

05:24but he's 35,

05:2536 years old.

05:26He tried to,

05:27and that's the difference.

05:29Baseball players generally have baseball players generally have the power,

05:33right?

05:34Because if you,

05:35if you stink,

05:36you're still going to get your money.

05:38Right.

05:40But the Yankees did resign him.

05:41He opted out and then they resigned him.

05:43Yeah.

05:44They just didn't tack on any years and Bregman.

05:46So Bregman could have a great year.

05:48Bregman could hit 30 home runs,

05:50a hundred RBIs be a,

05:51a really key contributor to the Red Sox.

05:54And then say,

05:55Hey,

05:56there's another team out there that is going to pay me a hundred and,

05:58you know,

05:59150 million.

06:00And then he,

06:01he looks,

06:02he looks great.

06:03And it's great.

06:04Great.

06:05Good.

06:06It's great too.

06:07The Red Sox has always been about contract years.

06:09And this creates a contract year for Bregman that he knows if he has a great

06:14season,

06:15he can get out and cash in.

06:16So you've got the incentive there.

06:18Interesting nugget.

06:19I just found Brett.

06:20He was the bat boy for Arizona state.

06:23When Dustin Pedroia was playing for Arizona state.

06:27So the Red Sox connections are everywhere.

06:29And the Red Sox drafted him,

06:31right?

06:32The Red Sox originally drafted him.

06:33He went back to LSU and became the number two pick overall,

06:36but the Red Sox had originally drafted him.

06:37He was the team way back in the day that the Red Sox drafted.

06:41So,

06:42yeah,

06:43it's just,

06:44it's,

06:45it's crazy.

06:46You know,

06:47Greg,

06:48I told you the other day,

06:49the Red Sox are going to look like the smartest people in the room or look

06:51like absolute idiots.

06:52And it turns out they look like the smartest people in the room.

06:53They waited it out.

06:54He came to them.

06:55They got the number they were comfortable at.

06:57They signed him to a deal they were comfortable at.

06:59And,

07:00you know,

07:01I think it immediately puts them into at least playoff contention.

07:04I think it puts them into the,

07:05the,

07:06the conversation of like,

07:07wait,

07:08he's already talking about.

07:09If you looked at Twitter last night,

07:10it exploded.

07:11Social media exploded.

07:12Fans are,

07:13fans are,

07:14fans are now interested.

07:16And it's amazing how one signing.

07:18No,

07:19somebody get Mr.

07:20Henry,

07:21another Cohiba.

07:22He deserves it today.

07:24He deserves it.

07:25He stepped up to $120 million of real,

07:27real dollars.

07:28He,

07:29he,

07:30he deserves it.

07:31Now,

07:32you know,

07:33it puts into,

07:34it puts into place the rest of the moves.

07:36They made the off season.

07:37Just look better.

07:38The Garrett crochet trade looks better.

07:40The Walker Buehler signing looks better.

07:42They get G Alito back from,

07:44from injury now.

07:45So now they're,

07:46wait,

07:47he's been talking about their pitching staff.

07:48All,

07:49all off season.

07:50Their pitching staff is now in place.

07:52And now they have the right handed bat to kind of balance the lineup

07:55and gives them a lot of flexibility.

07:57Alex score loves these players.

07:59He can play second base.

08:00He can play third base.

08:01He can DH.

08:02He can move people around.

08:03If it protects against injury risk,

08:05it just,

08:06it puts them in a really,

08:07really good position.

08:08And I,

08:09I think Red Sox fans should,

08:10should wake up happy.

08:11Anti-baseball breath text before you go.

08:14Am I missing something?

08:15Bregman is 30 years old.

08:17Hit two 60 last year,

08:1826 home runs,

08:2075 RBIs.

08:21That doesn't put them over the top in the division.

08:24So there's the negative.

08:26Yeah.

08:27Yeah.

08:28I mean,

08:29you'll hear that,

08:30right?

08:31He's 30 years old.

08:32He's on a one to two to three year deal.

08:35He got hurt.

08:36He started off really,

08:37really slow last year.

08:38So if you look at his like April numbers,

08:40he,

08:41he got,

08:42he got off to a really slow start because of injury from,

08:45I think it was like may 15 or something like that.

08:48He cooked 26 home runs.

08:50And,

08:51and this ballpark,

08:52if you look at his numbers in this ballpark,

08:54he really plays well.

08:57But again,

08:58I think you guys talked about it,

08:59Greg,

09:00he's an adult in the room.

09:01He's a two time world series champion.

09:03He knows how to win.

09:04He's gone to the playoffs eight straight years.

09:06And they just didn't have a player like that.

09:09Now they have Walker Bueller who won last year.

09:11They have him coming over with playoff experience,

09:14world series experience.

09:15I just think that goes a long way,

09:17especially if your foundation of your franchise for the next eight to 10

09:21years are these young players,

09:23right?

09:24The three prospects they have coming up,

09:26the young Cassius and some of the young guys they have on the roster now.

09:30I think this is just a really big piece of that pie to be a leader and to

09:37tell them exactly how to win.

09:39I don't know.

09:40I think it's a,

09:41I think it's a pretty,

09:42I think it's a pretty good signing.

09:44Baseball breath.

09:46Thanks guys.

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