Ex-Marlins president goes scorched earth on Scott Boras as Alex Bregman's free agency saga continues

Free agent third baseman Alex Bregman made a terrible mistake by turning down a six-year, $156 million offer last December, as he remains unsigned, former Miami Marlins president David Samson believes.

In an opinion piece on Nothing Personal with David Samson published on February 11, Samson delved into how Bregman’s agent Scott Boras misled the former Houston Astros star by promising him a huge payday in free agency.

Unfortunately, Boras and Bregman overplayed their hand, assuming teams would line up to pay over $200 million for the All-Star infielder. Samson stated:

“Alex Bregman is not getting the deal he wanted… There's not a team that’s going to stand up and say ‘We’ve had it wrong the whole time. Here we are, approaching spring training, give that man his Oreos.’” (0:38)

Samson later described how Bregman now faces a situation, where he may have no other choice but to accept a short-term deal to give him one more kick at the can in free agency.

“There is no team that will Alex Bregman for the contract Boras promised him or that he wants." Samson continued, "Don’t you think it would behoove you to sign somewhere, take the short-term deal with the one-year opt-out, play your tuchus off, hit another 30 to 35 bombs, play great defense at third baseman, then opt out after tampering, and see if you can’t be Matt Chapman?”

The comments underscore how Alex Bregman has no choice but to bet on himself at this point in his career. Bregman has the skills and potential to put up another All-Star season, potentially paving the way for the payday Boras promised his client.

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Alex Bregman passed on a $156 million offer from Houston Astros last December

At the outset of free agency this offseason, one of the storylines to watch would be where Bregman would sign as the Houston Astros were unlikely to be frontrunners in keeping the third baseman. In December last season, the Astros reportedly offered Bregman a six-year $156 million contract.

The report raised some eyebrows as the notoriously frugal Astros ownership was apparently unwilling to splurge on keeping Bregman. According to Sports Illustrated, Insider Bob Nightengale had reported that other teams like the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers were looking to offer Bregman a mega deal.

That situation prompted Bregman to pass on the Astros’ offer, leading to a hefty payday. However, spring training is looming on the horizon and no team has yet backed up the Brinks truck for Bregman. As the Sports Illustrated piece noted, Bregman and Boras were holding out for a deal containing a $30 million AAV.

At this point, it seems Bregman and Boras overplayed their hand and are now staring at the possibility of getting a lower-than-anticipated deal.