On Tuesday night, Jon Heyman of The New York Post delivered some breaking news that most Red Sox fans have seen coming since early May:

“Alex Bregman planning to opt out after nice first year in Boston. Red Sox return seems logical but there will surely be options (one potential surprise suitor in here)”

Heyman then linked to his piece, listing the potential suitors for the 31-year-old third baseman.

Those, unfortunately, are behind the Post’s “Sports+” paywall, which I refuse to pay for. Apologies in advance.

The important news here, though, is that the two-time World Series champion is planning to opt out after year one of a three-year deal with the Red Sox worth $120 million.

Had he not done so, he was in line to make $40 million in 2026, and $40 million in 2027. Instead, the three-time All-Star and his super agent Scott Boras will test the free agent market, likely with the idea that there are teams out there willing to give Bregman more years and, possibly, more money.

Hard to imagine Bregman will find a landing spot with a higher AAV than what he had in Boston, but the potential for more years at a smaller AAV could be on the table.

Bregman missed 48 games in 2025, spending a chunk of the season on the IL after straining his quad while trying to leg out a single against the Orioles on May 23.

After a strong start to his first year in Boston landed him a spot on the All-Star team, Bregman cooled off down the home stretch of the season. He finished the year batting .273 with 18 home runs, 62 RBI and 64 runs scored across 495 plate appearances. His on-base percentage was .360 and his slugging percentage was .462, good for an OPS of .821 - 25 points lower than his career OPS of .846.

It's safe to say that whether Bregman is back or not will have massive implications on Boston's World Series odds for 2026. With his future with the Red Sox in flux, look for a buying opportunity with Boston when odds for next year's Fall Classic open later this year. Because if we know one thing about Boras, he will 100% drag this thing out as long as humanly possible (for those who don't remember, Bregman signed with the Red Sox in mid-February).

Here’s everything Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow had to say about Alex Bregman during his end-of-season press conference with the media last Monday:

Question: Do you expect to approach Bregman and [Scott] Boras in the next month before free agency, and before the opt out decision about a new contract?

Craig Breslow: “You know, I think best to keep those conversations internal. Obviously, Alex has the right, as structured in his contract, to opt out. And he's going to do what's best for his family.

“At the same time, I will not miss an opportunity to talk about his contributions on the field, in the clubhouse, to the coaching staff, to the front office. Every conversation we've had, I learned something. I think that impact and influence has rubbed off on his teammates, and by all accounts, he's loved his time in Boston.”

Q: To that end, then what is the significance to the 2026 Red Sox to keeping him?

CB: “We'll let that play out, but the significance would be having a great player, a proven winner, a strong defender, someone who fits this park really well on our roster.”

Q: Alex’s stats pre-injury and post-injury were dramatically different. How do you quantify that, going to the offseason and trying to figure out what he is?

CB: “Yeah, look - I think Alex did everything he could to get back on the field as soon as possible, including playing before he was 100%. And that deserves a ton of appreciation, because he knew what was at stake, and he knew his role on the team. And we were a better team with Alex at 80% of his sprint-speed than we are without him at all.

“Did that have an impact on his performance? Probably a better question for Alex. But our medical staff, Alex and [Cora] had a great plan to keep him on the field as much as we possibly could, and we were able to execute on that successfully.”

We’ll have more on this breaking news story on Roundtable as things develop.

Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.