NL Contender Challenges Red Sox For Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette

Sweet home Chicago? The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon report the Cubs, like the Boston Red Sox, are in the market for third baseman Alex Bregman and shortstop Bo Bichette.

“The Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs are among the teams talking to both players, according to people briefed on the conversations,” Rosenthal and Sammon write.

“The Blue Jays have been in touch with both, too, but now appear more focused on (Kyle) Tucker.

“The Cubs’ interest in Bichette, first reported by Jon Heyman, stems from their desire to upgrade at third base – something the signing of Bregman also would accomplish,” Rosenthal and Sammon add.

The Red Sox have not hidden their desire to re-sign Bregman, with Bichette seemingly in the mix as a backup. And Boston isn’t the only club preferring Bregman over Bichette.

“Bregman, who turns 32 in March, is four years older than Bichette, but a number of teams view his leadership as a difference-maker,” Rosenthal and Sammon note.

According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, during an appearance on “First Up with Korolnek & Colaiacovo” on Friday, the Red Sox have made an “aggressive offer” to Bregman.

“The details of the offer are still unknown, but Bregman is thought to be seeking a six-year deal,” The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey reports.

“But for now, the sides sit at a stalemate: the Red Sox seemingly satisfied with their current offer and Bregman likely holding out for more,” McCaffrey adds.

“Bregman has control here, given the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers are all in the mix for his services, though Boston has long been the favorite to re-sign him,” McCaffrey concludes.

In his first season with the Red Sox, Bregman earned his third All-Star nod while hitting .273 with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs in 114 games. But he missed almost two months of the season with a quad injury.

Bichette, 27, put together a strong 2025 campaign for the Toronto Blue Jays. His .311 batting average was second in the majors. The two-time All-Star owns a .294 lifetime batting average and has led the American League in base hits twice (2021 and 2022).

Of course, the Red Sox signing Bichette would come with a kicker: robbing an American League East rival of a core player that helped the Blue Jays win the division title and advance to the 2025 World Series.