On Feb. 12, the Boston Red Sox added yet another player to their stock of middle infielders. Alex Bregman signed a three-year deal with opt-outs after each season to balance Boston's batting order but add to a logjam of middle infielders for the foreseeable future.
Bregman, Trevor Story, Romy González, Nick Sogard, David Hamilton, Vaughn Grissom, Ceddanne Rafaela and top prospects Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell are the Red Sox's current options between shortstop and second base. González and Campbell are well-suited to utility roles, but the Sox may need to find middle infield jobs for the rest of the players in the mix.
Bregman can opt out after either his first two seasons with the Sox, and if he does, any one of Boston's many options could take on his role at second base. If he doesn't, the Red Sox will still have a surplus of depth up the middle.
Depth is always good, but it can be put to better use than just keeping players on the bench or in the minor leagues until they're needed. The Bregman signing could allow the Sox to make another blockbuster trade, and they have plenty of players — some big-league ready, some not — to choose from to help them improve in other areas.
The Alex Bregman signing adds to the Red Sox's middle infield logjam
After Campbell's breakout season in the minor leagues, his trade value is through the roof. Despite his injury issues, Mayer is still a highly touted prospect with a sweet swing and smooth defense. Grissom spent a good amount of 2024 on the bench with hamstring injuries, but he's young, athletic and has proven he can hit in the big leagues with the Braves.
Franklin Arias, Yoeilin Cespedes and Mikey Romero are also middle infield prospects but are farther from MLB readiness. Arias is the No. 76 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline and Romero, a former first-round pick, posted a great season during which he rose from rookie ball to Double-A over 78 games. The Red Sox have marketed Mayer, and now Campbell after the trade of Kyle Teel, as the future of the team, and they may have an easier time justifying trades for these three guys that they haven't hyped up to fans as much.
As complicated as building the correct roster can be, Boston's surplus of middle infield depth is an asset. The Red Sox have plenty of shortstops and second basemen to justify shopping some of them at the right time. They probably don't have a blockbuster trade in them after the Bregman signing, as Nolan Arenado no longer meets any of the team's needs. But there is not enough room for every player mentioned here to have a path to Boston, especially if Bregman stays for the entirety of his deal, and trades could be the best way to get necessary talent and give them a path to the majors.