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By Jackson Roberts
Contributing Sports Writer
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Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman has only been in town since February, but he's played a critical mentoring role for the future leaders of the team.
Principal among the youngsters Bregman has taken under his wing is outfielder Roman Anthony, the rising superstar who signed an eight-year, $130 million extension on Wednesday, the largest guaranteed deal ever for a major leaguer in his rookie season.
Bregman bought Anthony and the other rookies custom suits in spring training. He can constantly be seen talking over at-bats with Anthony and Marcelo Mayer, iPad in hand, during games. It's obvious how much he means to the youngsters on this squad.
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Now that Anthony is locked in for the long haul in Boston, Bregman made it clear on Thursday that the 21-year-old means a lot to him as well, but even more to the team and the city at large.
"I'm super happy that he's happy," Bregman said, per Tim Healey of the Boston Globe. "Being here long-term and being able to be here and even at his age be a leader of this franchise, he's an unbelievable player and so mature and I'm happy for him."
Now that Anthony is locked in, all eyes will soon turn to Bregman. The 31-year-old can opt out of the final two years and $80 million of the deal he signed back in February if he chooses to pursue free agency this winter.
The Red Sox saved $254.5 million when they traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants, a move that happened in no small part because Devers was upset by the organization moving him off third base to sign Bregman.
With plenty of that money left over even after extending Anthony, the pressure on the front office to keep Bregman in town is already high, and it's only going to ramp up as Boston barrels toward the playoffs.
Bregman loves playing alongside Anthony for now. But will that sway his decision at all to stick around or depart for greener pastures?
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