The Boston Red Sox stopped playing baseball earlier than they wanted this fall, and now their offseason roster-building process has gotten off to a start they likely would not have preferred.

That stage began with a partially expected thud, as Alex Bregman will opt out of his contract , according to Jon Heyman.

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In doing so, Bregman will forego the $40 million for each of the next two seasons that were on his contract, meaning he and agent Scott Boras anticipate landing a healthy amount more than $80 million over multiple years when he hits the free-agent market.

Even if such a scenario was anticipated when Bregman put ink to paper in mid-February, it leaves the Red Sox in a tenuous position as they try to bui

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