The Boston Red Sox suffered a gut punch on Saturday night, officially losing Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs in free agency despite being considered the frontrunners to sign him all offseason.
The Red Sox made an “aggressive offer” but were still outbid for Bregman, who landed a five-year, $175 million deal from the Cubs. Boston’s offer was reportedly five years and $160 million.
Bregman’s shocking departure is bad timing for the Red Sox, as many of the top free-agent bats are already off the board. They already missed out on Pete Alonso, Kyle Schwarber and Josh Naylor, leaving them few options to pivot to and reducing their leverage in negotiations.
Bregman’s exit is the latest turn in what’s been an underwhelming offseason for Boston to date. While the Red Sox have traded for Sonny Gray, Johan Oviedo and Willson Contreras, they’re still the only Major League team that hasn’t signed an MLB free agent. They also haven’t meaningfully improved since last season, whereas several of their division rivals have.
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Fortunately for Boston, the winter isn’t over yet. The Red Sox still have over a month before spring training starts, so there’s still time to add another impact bat.
Bo Bichette, Kyle Tucker, Eugenio Suarez and others are all still available, so Boston has options. The Red Sox would have to be aggressive and perhaps willing to get “uncomfortable” financially. They might also need to get creative with their roster given their outfield logjam.
What Boston does over the next month will largely determine the perception of its offseason. If the Red Sox splurge for Bichette or trade for Ketel Marte to compensate for the loss of Bregman, the winter will be considered a success. If they settle for a less talented hitter or don’t do much else of note, however, this offseason will go down as a missed opportunity to build off their successful 2025 campaign.
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Featured image via Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox via Getty Images
