FORT MYERS, Fla. ¨C ¡°Pressure is a privilege.¡±
Of all the sentences that Alex Bregman uttered during his introductory press conference with the Red Sox at the Fenway South complex on Sunday morning, that is the one that best describes why the gritty infielder should be a perfect fit in Boston.
Tennis legend Billie Jean King coined that phrase about a quarter century ago while captaining the United States at the 2000 Fed Cup. She authored a book with that title in 2008.
Bregman spent the first eight full seasons of his career embodying that, helping to fuel the Houston Astros to playoff appearances (including two World Series titles) each year.
He doesn¡¯t plan on letting that streak end in ¡¯25. Bregman comes to Boston as a centerpiece in his team¡¯s mission to start making October a regular thing after it missed the postseason in five of the last six years.
¡°I'm a winning player. It's a winning organization,¡± Bregman said. ¡°These players are winning players. We have winning coaches here. I plan on winning here. After talking with some of the guys over the last two days, I can see that there's something special here.¡±
Pressure? What pressure?
¡°I honestly say all the time that pressure is a privilege, and you kind of up your game in pressure-packed environments,¡± said Bregman. ¡°It¡¯s a good pressure, and brings you to a ballpark every day ready to compete, and locks you in.¡±
In the playoffs, as Bregman learned in three different Octobers for the Astros, Fenway takes the intensity up a notch, if not several.
Bregman flashed back to Game 4 of the 2017 American League Division Series when his Astros held a 5-3 lead entering the bottom of the ninth and were three outs away from closing out the series.
Rafael Devers roped an inside-the-park homer to lead off that inning that set off ear-splitting noise that Bregman tried to block out from his position at third base.
¡°I felt like I've never seen a crowd that crazy in my life,¡± Bregman said. ¡°It was almost like, 'Oh, wow, I don't know if we're gonna win this game anymore.' They're going nuts. It's awesome. So, yeah, I think every time we go there, there's just an energy, whether it's a Monday or a Sunday, it's a great atmosphere.¡±
The Astros did wind up winning that game and that series, mainly because Bregman temporarily silenced Fenway with a game-tying homer in the eighth against Chris Sale. He has a way of coming up big in moments like that.
A main reason he came to Boston rather than signing longer-term deals on the table from the Cubs, Tigers or Astros is because he feels the Red Sox are set up for success the next few years.
It was an interesting choice for Bregman to make, as often players in their 30s value long-term security above all else.
¡°I think I just believe in my abilities,¡± Bregman said.
Agent Scott Boras supported his client¡¯s wishes, doing so with confidence.
¡°You adhere to what the players are about," Boras said. "There are some players you would never do this with. But with a guy like Alex Bregman, he is just built with an understanding of himself and a confidence. He trusts his preparation.¡±
The only thing left open-ended is what position Bregman will play. He will either stay at third, with Devers moving across the diamond to first base or going to DH, or he'll transition to second base. That decision doesn¡¯t need to be made for a few weeks, as the Red Sox would like to monitor the readiness of prospect Kristian Campbell, ranked No. 7 in MLB Pipeline¡¯s Top 100.
Sunday was a day for the Red Sox to celebrate Bregman¡¯s expected impact on and off the field.
While the past few years in Boston have been a balancing act between the present and the future, with the future often winning out, this season represents a sea change. The Red Sox signing Bregman to a three-year, $120 million contract that includes two opt-outs and deferrals each season signifies that belief.
This is the most aggressive the Red Sox have been in free agency since signing J.D. Martinez in Spring Training of 2018, just eight months before the club would win its fourth World Series championship of the 21st century.
¡°It¡¯s a great day for the Boston Red Sox,¡± said club president/CEO Sam Kennedy.
A team with a strong young core and some quality veterans needed one more piece. That piece was Bregman. In fact, Breslow made about 14-15 calls to Boras, just in case the agent had any doubt who his top target was as a right-handed bat.
¡°We entered the offseason with a pretty clearly defined punch list of things that we were hoping to achieve,¡± Breslow said. ¡°We talked about adding to the top of our rotation. We talked about rebuilding our bullpen, improving our infield defense and having a right-handed bat to balance out our lineup. And as the offseason progressed, it just became clearer and clearer that Alex was the perfect fit for what we were trying to accomplish.¡±