Alex Bregman It’s unlikely he’ll suit up for Baltimore or Pittsburgh, but he’s certainly on the radar for Boston. Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe wrote tonight that the Red Sox are making Bregman a priority. The Sox enjoyed an excellent season from the three-time All-Star, who hit .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs across 495 trips to the plate. He is also highly regarded as a clubhouse leader and could find himself back at third base, giving the Sox leverage Marcelo Mayer at second base.
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Boston has also been loosely linked to some big-name middle infielders. They checked in Kettle Marte And Brendan Donovan. A report this evening from Tim Healey of The Boston Globe suggested that they have at least assessed the Rangers’ interest in a move Corey Seageralthough WEEI’s Rob Bradford suggested those conversations haven’t gone anywhere. The Sox have had conversations with the top free agent infielder Bo BichetteBut Julian McWilliams of CBS Sports also downplayed that tonight. That all adds up to the idea that the Sox are more focused on Bregman or a pure power bat at first base (e.g. Pete Alonso).
In addition to Boston, Bregman was tied to the Tigers and Cubs this winter. Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free-Press wrote Monday afternoon that Detroit’s interest so far has been fairly muted compared to last season, when they are believed to have submitted the highest bid. The Tigers made a six-year offer a year ago that was just over $170 million. Bregman opted to sign a three-year contract with the Sox, allowing him to opt out and return to the market this winter.
Chicago reportedly made a four-year offer in the neighborhood of $115 million last offseason. They are back on the market and met Bregman via Zoom a few weeks ago, according to Robert Murray of FanSided. However, the Cubs’ interest is complicated by the presence of a second-year third baseman Matt Shaw. After a slow start to his career, Shaw had a bright second half in which he made use of the abilities that made him a top player. The Cubs have Nico Hoerner And Dansby Swanson in the middle, so adding Bregman would make for a cluttered infield.
President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer spoke generally about reports linking the Cubs to outside third basemen. “I’m surprised by the number of media reports linking us to different guys. There’s no lack of confidence in Matt. I would say the opposite,” Hoyer said Monday (link via ESPN’s Jesse Rogers). He hasn’t specifically refuted interest in Bregman, nor are executives allowed to do so under the CBA for any free agent. The Cubs aren’t closing the door on adding a high-end bat to replace Kyle Tuckerbut they seem more focused on pitching.
Theoretically, the Cubs could sign Bregman and use Shaw as a trade chip for a mid-rotation starter. That doesn’t seem like a strong consideration. “When a team calls a player ‘untouchable’ it’s because his value is so high that it’s just unrealistic to think anyone else would come over the top and give you something even more than that value. That’s where Matt Shaw comes into play for us,” general manager Carter Hawkins told reporters. Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. “Is he untouchable? No. No one is untouchable, but the chance that someone comes in and makes us an offer that makes us want to move him is very, very small.”
If the Tigers and Cubs remain on the fringes of the market, it could present an opportunity for a dark horse suitor. The Angels and Mets are speculative possibilities. In the meantime, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic wrote that the Blue Jays could keep an eye on Bregman as a fallback if they can’t get away with one of Tucker or Bichette. The Jays don’t need a third baseman, they need both Addison Barger (outfield corner) and Ernie Clemens (second base) could play other positions. Toronto’s general willingness to cast a wide net makes them a viable dark horse, although it would be a surprise if they made a serious move on Bregman while Bichette and Tucker are still unsigned.
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