Red Sox Should Sign 3-Time All-Star Over Bo Bichette, Others
Bregman is already a great fit in Boston
The Boston Red Sox are in the market for another impact bat, and The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier identified four players they are reportedly targeting.
According to Speier, the Red Sox have their eyes on Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Ketel Marte and Isaac Paredes. All but Marte are right-handed, and even he is a switch-hitter. Which one would be the best fit for Boston?
The right answer for the Red Sox may, in fact, be Bregman. Not only did they see firsthand how he would perform in their lineup, but they saw the impact he could have in their clubhouse as well. Additionally, keeping Bregman would allow the Red Sox to keep Trevor Story and Marcelo Mayer up the middle of their infield.
Signing Bichette or trading for Marte would move Mayer back to third base. While he played there last season, he came up in the organization as a shortstop and the move to second base is much easier than the one to the hot corner.
However, positional fit will not be that big of an issue for the Red Sox. Even if they prefer to keep Mayer up the middle, they wouldn’t pass up on a great player because it would place Mayer at third base. He posted a plus-two outs above average at third base last season. The biggest reason Bregman is a better choice than others is his leadership.
That’s not to say the other players are not capable of being leaders, but the Red Sox have plenty of young players who have already built a relationship with Bregman. He was a key reason the team was able to make the postseason. Despite missing a chunk of time, Bregman remained an important piece for the team.
“He’s like a coach, really,” Red Sox rookie Marcelo Mayer said to The Athletic in July. “I can’t really say enough of how much he’s helped not only me and Roman (Anthony), but the whole team. He has people coming in early and watching film, whether that’s me, (Jarren) Duran or whoever it may be. And I think he just sees the game at a super advanced level compared to most people.”
On the field, any of the options Speier noted the Red Sox are interested in would make an impact. Bregman slashed .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs last season. It’s not like the Red Sox are getting an unproductive player by opting to choose Bregman over other options because of his leadership. Bregman was hitting .299 before his quad injury and was top 10 in OPS before he went on the injured list.
He was named an All-Star for the third time in his career last season. He will be looking for a long-term deal, and Craig Breslow may be willing to give it to him, knowing the impact he made last season.
