Alex Cora Completely Raved About This Red Sox Target

The Boston Red Sox are linked to several big-name players as the MLB Winter Meetings commence in Dallas.

Alex Bregman is among them with some increasing momentum in links to Boston. He played for Alex Cora during the current Red Sox manager’s stint as the bench coach of the Houston Astros. From those years to later playoff meetings, Cora knows just how special of a player the former No. 1 overall pick is.

“Alex is a good player, man,” Cora told reporters Monday at the Winter Meetings. “He’s a complete player. It’s a player, he’s been on winning teams his whole career. Good defender. Offensively, he’s really good. He’s a guy that a lot of people are talking about. I do believe he can impact a big-league team, a championship-caliber team. He’s that type of player.”

Where Bregman would play if he were to join the Red Sox remains a question. Bregman apparently had openness to playing second base, and Cora denied any current plans to move Rafael Devers off third base for the Red Sox. Wherever he plays, Cora thinks Bregman can live up to defensive versatility.

“We actually had that conversation in (2017) when I was with the Astros,” Cora recalled. “We made some adjustments at third base where he was playing. He was feeling uncomfortable. At the end, it paid off for him. He’s a Gold Glove defender at third. I always envisioned him playing in the middle of the diamond. Those were conversations in ’17. He can adjust. He has the baseball IQ to do that. People might think the double play might be an issue. I don’t believe so. I think he can do whatever.”

Bregman’s Astros eliminated the Red Sox twice in postseason play in the 2017 American League Division Series and the 2021 American League Championship Series. Boston beat Houston in the ALCS in 2018.