The Boston Red Sox knew well before Alex Bregman's official opt-out that the star third baseman would be testing the market after a solid bounce-back season. Retaining him will be a top priority, but the Red Sox need to prepare for the fact that the bidding may get out of hand.
As a result, turning over every stone to cover the hot corner should he leave is extremely prudent. But the Red Sox would be foolish to look just at the third base market as a means to replace Bregman's impact. Instead, they should embrace a little creativity and strongly consider these three pivots, should they lose one of their most crucial hitters.
3 free agency pivots Red Sox can make if Alex Bregman leaves
Pete Alonso
While the focus is on third base, it's not unreasonable to consider first base a pressing need. It doesn't appear that Triston Casas will be ready for Opening Day. Nathaniel Lowe was a fine fill-in down the stretch, but his fit with Casas is questionable at best, and his ceiling is that of a low-end starter.
Pete Alonso is a much different player from Bregman. Defense isn't a strength he brings, but hard-hit balls are. His power would play very nicely in Fenway Park and would give a big boost to a lineup that was just middle of the pack in homers, ranking 15th with 186 long balls in 2025. He's rumored to be seeking at least a seven-year deal, so he won't be a cheaper alternative, but if the Sox miss out on Bregman, they might find targeting the best player at the opposite corner to be the most palatable path forward.
Cody Bellinger
Another creative pivot, Cody Bellinger brings much of what Bregman brings to the table offensively. Bregman's high-contact, low strikeout approach yielded a K-rate of just 14.1%, while Bellinger was even better, coming in at 13.7%. Overall, his .813 OPS and the way he generated it are very similar to Bregman's .821 performance.
Defensively, both are excellent players, but obviously very different. Bellinger brings a versatility that could set up Boston for additional moves. The lefty-swinger could take over at first base, giving the Sox a high-end solution there, or his outfield prowess could be utilized to facilitate a Jarren Duran trade that could help bring a running-mate at the top of the rotation to Boston to pair with Garrett Crochet.
Bellinger's versatility would give Boston the flexibility to set off a chain reaction that could result in a stronger roster overall than simply retaining Bregman despite the similarities in their offensive profiles.
Kyle Schwarber
This would be putting the focus on power-hitting into overdrive. Kyle Schwarber is coming off a career-high 56 homers, which would give the designated hitter spot a much different look than what Masataka Yoshida has provided over the last few years.
Adding Schwarber would allow the Sox to revisit a Yoshida trade, a move the club has been itching to make since last offseason. Coming off an injury-plagued season in which he failed to produce with the bat, Yoshida won't be an easy sell, but having a legitimate alternative and immense upgrade at DH removes the barrier of uncertainty at the position the Red Sox would face without him.
As with the other options, this does nothing to solve third base, but it would make the lineup even more potent than it was when Bregman was healthy and at his best.