How History Suggests Red Sox Still Could Sign Alex Bregman

Red Sox fans who want Alex Bregman in Boston probably have started to lose hope. MLB’s offseason frenzy is in the rear-view mirror, and pitchers and catchers are less than a month away from reporting to spring training.

However, those members of the Fenway Faithful don’t have to look too far back into team history to realize a Bregman signing probably still is on the table.

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Let’s go back to the 2017-18 offseason when J.D. Martinez was one of the most talented players on the market. Martinez was coming off an outstanding second half of the season in Arizona, where he hit a remarkable 29 home runs with 65 RBIs in only 62 games with the Diamondbacks. And after almost single-handedly dragging the Snakes to a National League Division Series, the veteran slugger was poised to be the belle of the ball in free agency.

However, teams didn’t champ at the bit to sign Martinez. The six-time All-Star lingered on the open market until late February when he signed a five-year, $110 million contract with the Red Sox. And while it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison, there certainly are similarities between Martinez’s and Bregman’s situations.

Let’s start with age. Martinez was about six months away from his 31st birthday when he put pen to paper in Boston. Bregman, meanwhile, will turn 31 when MLB kicks off the regular season in late March. Superstar players typically still have plenty left in the tank at that point in life, but clubs usually are understandably hesitant to give 30-year-old non-pitchers a contract that goes beyond five years.

We also should keep the negotiating players in mind. Bregman is represented by super agent Scott Boras, who tends to drag out the free agencies of his clients with hopes of landing top dollar. You want to take a wild guess of who advised Martinez to stay on the market for nearly four months? It was Boras, of course.

The makeup also is pretty similar. Martinez long has been crowned for being a hitting guru, and his expertise paid dividends in the clubhouse throughout his Red Sox tenure. Bregman also has been praised for leadership skills, and he has significantly more playoff experience than Martinez did when he signed with the Red Sox.

And again, this is not a perfect comparison. Martinez’s bat played beautifully at Fenway Park and there was a designated hitter slot readily available for him to occupy upon signing in Boston. Bregman, meanwhile, is an everyday position player who might force Alex Cora to make significant lineup changes if he joined the club. Taking the diamond every game theoretically also puts Bregman’s durability in jeopardy.

None of this is to say that Bregman is certainly bound for the Red Sox, who still could use an infusion of high-end talent with hopes of contending in the American League. It’s just to say a potential signing seemingly still is a possibility because we saw a pretty similar one not too long ago.