Most of the top infielders in the 2025-26 free agent class remain on the market two months into the offseason. The Boston Red Sox remain interested in Alex Bregman and Bo Bichette to sharpen their offense and round out their lineup, but a recent update in the latter's market will push them solely toward Bregman.
Bichette reportedly seeks a $300 million deal in free agency, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post (subscription required). Many insiders and reporters project that Bregman should receive just over half that amount of money for his next contract, and the Red Sox have taken their sweet time courting him (...again).
Boston hasn't been interested in signing free agents to megadeals such as the one Bichette covets. In the middle of last season, it offloaded the biggest contract in the history of the organization (10 years, $313.5 million) when it traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants in what many fans have concluded was mostly a salary dump.
Bichette has been something of a backup infielder in the Sox's eyes, just in case they miss out on signing Bregman. But with a $300 million asking price, Boston will surely abandon that plan.
Red Sox can abandon any dreams of signing Bo Bichette after reports of $300 million asking price
Bichette is a great player, a consistent hitter and a young free agent at just 27 years old, but $300 million is a steep ask for his services. He's not a good defender and he was the worst qualified shortstop in the league last season with -13 outs above average and first percentile range. Some of Bichette's suitors are considering him for positions other than shortstop, which would decrease his value in their eyes.
Since there's no chance the Red Sox will spend hundreds of millions to sign Bichette, they have no excuse for missing out on Bregman. Their acquisition of Willson Contreras has made the team better and added some power to the offense, but he only brings the bats back to square one since Bregman opted out of his deal. Landing both Contreras and Bregman is the path to having a better offense than last year, which Boston will need to compete and win in the American League East.
The Red Sox will definitely not be among the list of suitors willing to give Bichette $300 million, and luckily, they don't need to be. Bregman is the better fit for Boston due to his defense and leadership skills, and it should not let him sign elsewhere — especially because it'd never pay it's backup plan player what he demands.