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Story byDetroit Free PressEvan Petzold, Detroit Free PressWed, November 26, 2025 at 10:10 AM UTC·5 min readAgent Scott Boras brewed up a coffee-and-donut analogy to illustrate the impact of third baseman Alex Bregman on the Boston Red Sox in the 2025 season.
He served it hot to the Detroit Tigers as a wake-up call.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBregman, a three-time All-Star who turns 32 in late March, opted out of the final two seasons of his three-year, $120 million contract with the Red Sox, making him a free agent for the second straight offseason. The Tigers were the runners-up last time, making them prime candidates to pour back into the sweepstakes.
"In Boston, we learned a lot about Bregman in 2025," Boras said Nov. 12 at the general manager meetings in Las Vegas, unleashing his usual plethora of puns. "In Boston, prior to 2025, they had a lot of lineup do-not holes, and certainly, prior to 2025, Boston has been a club that has dunkin' well below the playoff line. I think it was a bad roast in Beantown. Give the owners credit in 2025. They went out, spent some 'Starbucks' to bring in a Bregman blend that led them to the playoffs. I'm sure the Boston fans don't want this to be just a cup of coffee, and no one wants a Bregs-it."
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Agent Scott Boras (left) and Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman (right) on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in Fort Myers, Florida, after Bregman signed a three-year, $120 million contract with the Red Sox in free agency.Bregman, a two-time World Series champion, has played for the Houston Astros (2016-24) and Red Sox (2025) over his 10-year MLB career, advancing to the postseason in nine consecutive seasons – from 2017-24 with the Astros, then again in 2025 with the Red Sox.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAfter Bregman departed, the Astros missed the postseason for the first time since 2016, all while he helped the Red Sox secure their second postseason appearance in seven years.
Wherever Bregman goes, October tends to follow.
"I think all teams learned – outside of Houston – that if you want to have someone that's going to lead a championship army, there is no better general than the Bregadier," said Boras, who has represented Bregman since July 2020.
Teams win when Bregman shows up.
Leadership is the centerpiece of Boras' pitch to the Tigers in free agency.
"When it comes to leadership, I don't know of any starting position player that has been in the postseason nine consecutive years," Boras said. "Whatever that is in the locker room, whatever that is – and granted, there's talent on both those teams [Astros and Red Sox] – but Boston was a real test. Bregman went in there with a lot of young players, and in a situation where they were finishing not close to playoffs, but they were finishing in last place in their division. He went in there and created a culture."
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In 2025, Bregman hit .273 with 18 home runs, 51 walks and 70 strikeouts, posting a .821 OPS. He was limited to 114 games because of a right quad strain that landed him on the injured list for 48 days, from late May to mid-July.
He hit .309 with a .933 OPS in his first 83 games, followed by hitting .180 with a .536 OPS in his final 31 games.
The Red Sox featured four position players under 25 years old in 2025, including top prospects Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell. (The Tigers had three under-25 position players, headlined by Colt Keith and Riley Greene.)
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOne example of Bregman's leadership with the Red Sox came in spring training, when he chose to ride the team bus to a road game – something virtually unheard of for a veteran star – just to spend time with those top prospects.
"Give credit to AC [Red Sox manager Alex Cora] and his staff and what they do and what the front office did and the ownership commitment," Boras said of the 2025 Red Sox, referencing chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and owner John Henry, "but in that locker room, there is a sense of truth, a sense of real. How that's done is so delicate in today's game. You can lose young players. They can run away."
There are countless other examples of Bregman's leadership, including his ability to speak Spanish. He learned the language as a child, then maintained his bilingual skills during his years with the Astros so he could better communicate with Spanish-speaking teammates.
Looking ahead to 2026, imagine Bregman, shortstop Javier Báez and second baseman Gleyber Torres speaking Spanish to each other while roaming the infield for the Tigers, with manager A.J. Hinch – who managed Bregman from 2016-19 with the Astros – watching from the dugout.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Tigers could've benefited from Bregman's leadership – not just his Spanish – in 2025, most specifically during their September collapse. The Tigers lost 13 of their final 16 games (and 41 of their final 69), allowing the Cleveland Guardians to erase a 15½-game deficit and win the American League Central.
Maybe that slide doesn't happen with Bregman in the Tigers' clubhouse.
"We have players in there from many cultures, many languages," Boras said, "and when you see a player that's able to unite with all of them, how can you not say that it's something extraordinary, how can you not say that most don't have it, and how can you not say that I should covet it?"
Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Alex Bregman free agent: Detroit Tigers get leadership pitch
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