Alex Bregman To Red Sox? New Context On Boston’s Reported Interest

Are the Red Sox turning their attention to Alex Bregman after losing out on Juan Soto?

That’s the scuttlebutt at the MLB winter meetings in Dallas, with both WEEI’s Rob Bradford and NESN’s Tom Caron indicating Boston’s interest in Bregman is legit.

Bradford reported shortly after Soto agreed to a 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets on Sunday night that Boston might immediately prioritize Bregman in free agency. The Red Sox insider added more context Monday on WEEI’s “Jones and Keefe.”

“I do think what they are focused on is Alex Bregman. And I would not have said that 24 hours ago,” Bradford said. “I did not account for Alex Bregman in the way that maybe I should have accounted for in how much they are prioritized — because right-handed hitter, obviously, open to a move to second base, a championship pedigree. Yes, I understand about the championship he won in Houston, but still, the type of guy that they need in that clubhouse from a position-player standpoint. It checks off a lot, a lot of boxes.

“His price is going to be — right now, it’s uncomfortable, because (agent Scott Boras) is feeling good about himself. But still, to me, from what I hear, this is a very, very real thing when it comes to the Red Sox prioritizing this guy.”

Bregman isn’t without his drawbacks. He’s entering his age-31 season — Soto just turned 26 — and regressed a bit since his MVP runner-up peak in 2019. Plus, he’ll cost a bunch of money and require the Red Sox to relinquish a draft pick since the Houston Astros extended him a qualifying offer earlier this offseason.

But there’s a lot to love about Bregman’s game, too. Namely, he’d infuse some right-handed thump into a left-handed-heavy lineup. And he just earned his first career Gold Glove, albeit at third base, where Rafael Devers is locked in for the foreseeable future. So, he’d theoretically improve Boston’s infield defense, however the alignment shakes out.

Caron posted the following on X on Monday afternoon: “Sox interested in Bregman is real. They are not thinking of him as a 3B fit. There is currently no plan in place to move Devers to a new position. But that can change, of course.”

There’s been a ton of conversation about how the Red Sox will pivot after missing out on Soto. After all, they reportedly extended a monstrous offer to Soto before he decided to join the Mets. So, Boston clearly is willing to be aggressive.

The Red Sox could target starting pitching, with Corbin Burnes and Max Fried the top two hurlers available in free agency. Teoscar Hernández and Anthony Santander are a couple of names to monitor, as well, given they offer right-handed pop.

Bregman knows Red Sox manager Alex Cora from the latter’s time on Houston’s coaching staff. Perhaps the fit, while unconventional and expensive at first glance, will prove too good to pass up.