Red Sox Insider Provides Alex Bregman Update After Willson Contreras Trade
Contreras ... and Bregman?
The Boston Red Sox traded for a powerful righty bat on Sunday night. First baseman Willson Contreras is headed to Boston in a deal sending three right-handed pitchers to the St. Louis Cardinals, including fan favorite Hunter Dobbins.
While Red Sox fans try to imagine what Boston’s lineup looks like with Contreras now in the mix, many are still anxious about the fact that Alex Bregman remains unsigned.
On that note, MassLive’s Red Sox insider Chris Cotillo provided a Bregman update on Sunday night in the minutes following the Contreras news.
“The Red Sox remain engaged with third baseman Alex Bregman about a return to Boston, as well, with club officials remaining hopeful — but not necessarily either optimistic or pessimistic — at this juncture,” Cotillo revealed.
Boston has reportedly been talking to Bregman and his agent Scott Boras about a return, but the Red Sox have also been linked this offseason to Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte in trade buzz.
Interestingly, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale dropped his own bit of surprising Red Sox intel after the Contreras news, and it related to Marte.
Essentially, Nightengale asserted that this Contreras deal means Boston will stop its pursuit of Marte.
Plenty of Red Sox fans and pundits responded to Nightengale’s claim with a furrowed brow, wondering why exactly the Contreras move would take Boston out of the running for Marte.
It’s going to be an interesting rest of the offseason in regard to Boston’s lineup, because many people assume the Red Sox aren’t done adding, whether that means Marte, Bregman, or someone else entirely (Bo Bichette?!).
Bregman’s offseason and free agency hasn’t gone as expected, at least from Red Sox’s fans perspective. The same can presumably be said for Bregman himself. The three-time All-Star never gave any indication during the 2025 season that he wants to leave Boston, but of course, it all comes down to the money.
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden made an interesting claim last week when he said that the Chicago Cubs — not the Red Sox — are the team most likely to give Bregman the type of long-term deal that he’s seeking (according to some reports, Bregman wants a seven-year deal!). At the same time, many reports have suggested that the Cubs and Detroit Tigers — once high on Bregman — have cooled off when it comes to pursuing him.
The Diamondbacks and Toronto Blue Jays have more recently emerged as suitors for Bregman, although there are suspicions that both teams are linked to Bregman in the media merely as a result of a leverage play from Boras. For what it’s worth, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported this week that the D-Backs’ interest in Bregman is real.
Buckle up. The pivotal stretch of the offseason transaction cycle has barely begun.
