After a 2024 season that looked like he might be on the decline, Alex Bregman has been everything the Boston Red Sox could have hoped for and more after signing him to a Scott Boras special back in February.
The three-year, $120 million deal includes opt-outs after both this season and next, and Boras expects his client to opt out in hopes of the big payday he was denied a year ago. That said, Boras also emphasized that Bregman could be very open to resigning with the Red Sox, while Boston's leadership is very motivated to keep the star third baseman long-term.
Bregman's performance on the field and leadership in the clubhouse make it hard to envision the Red Sox letting him walk. At the same time, despite his cigar-smoking celebratory social media post after Bregman's signing, Red Sox owner John Henry has kept a relatively tight grip on the purse strings when it comes to spending big on long-term contracts for free agents who are on the wrong side of 30.
All that is to say that Bregman's market could go bonkers this time around, and the Red Sox might not be willing to meet the price tag. That's why it would behoove the club to take an early look at what their backup plans could be should Bregman end up being one-and-done in Boston.
3 early backup plans for Red Sox if Alex Bregman leaves in free agency
Eugenio Suárez
Perhaps the most hotly pursued name at the trade deadline, free-agent-to-be Eugenio Suárez lines up behind Bregman as the next-best third baseman projected to hit the market. While rumors connected Suárez to nearly every contender at the deadline, his performance since being traded to the Seattle Mariners has left a lot to be desired.
Post-trade, Suárez is slashing .181/.261/.410 in 39 games. Still, with 45 homers on the year, his power cannot be denied. Despite that immense power, Suárez is a big step down from Bregman in terms of contact ability, running a 28.8% strikeout rate compared to 14.1% for Bregman this year. He's also a step down defensively, posting -6 DRS on the year in 1222.2 innings versus 2 DRS for Bregman in 866.1 innings of work.
Two other things should be noted in Suárez's favor. His first stint in Seattle in 2022-23 were some of his worst years as he played his home games in a very pitcher-friendly park, giving hope that his current slump isn't indicative of age-related decline. Second, he's been renowned as a great teammate and leader, much in the same vein as Bregman.
Suárez will be going into his age-34 season, meaning he should be cheaper and require a shorter-term commitment than the 31-year-old Bregman. The financials could make him an attractive backup plan, and the increased power production would take some of the sting out of losing Bregman should the bidding get too wild.
Marcelo Mayer
Batting .228/.272/.402 in 44 big league games before succumbing to a season-ending wrist injury, Marcelo Mayer has been much more Kristian Campbell than Roman Anthony in his big league debut. Still, a relatively small sample of struggles doesn't mean that the 22-year-old's outlook as a top prospect has changed.
Boston has been working towards this youth movement for years, and if Bregman proves to be too expensive to retain and Craig Breslow isn't convinced that Suárez can bounce back outside of the Pacific Northwest, the Red Sox could simply pivot to Mayer in the hopes that the youngster is healthy and ready to realize his potential.
After a topsy-turvy season, the Red Sox have established themselves as contenders at the most critical point in the 2025 season, meaning that embracing a youngster to replace one of their most important veterans could be an unpopular position to take with the fan base. Still, after Bregman and Suárez, the free-agent herd thins out, and Mayer truly might be the best option for the present and the future.
Yoán Moncada
There's a scenario where the combination of Bregman's market getting out of hand, concern over a Suárez decline, and not being entirely sold on Mayer as the opening-day starter could bring Boston to reunite with their top prospect from a decade ago.
Yoán Moncada, formerly the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball and the centerpiece of the trade that brought Chris Sale to the Red Sox, will be a free agent. His complicated history could make him a candidate to take a one-year deal.
Moncada has at times looked like a future star, a total bust, and a guy whose career has been derailed by injuries. In 2025, he's been all three pretty much at the same time.
Moncada got a massive $31.5 million deal from the Red Sox as a 19-year-old, but settled for just a one-year $5 million contract this past offseason with the Los Angeles Angels after injuries limited him to just 12 games in 2024.
While healthier this year, multiple different injuries limited the 30-year-old to just 75 games this year. Despite that, he's turned in his most productive season with the bat since his 2019 breakout, posting a .246/.350/.474 line this year.
Should the Red Sox lose Bregman, but not want to block Mayer at the hot corner long-term, Moncada could make sense as a placeholder with the understanding that Mayer will still get ample opportunity to wrestle the starting job away, thanks to the inevitable injury or two. This would be the "hedging their bets" option, and a clear dropoff from Bregman, but also a pathway that could work out in both the short and long term.