Alex Bregman is a free agent for the second consecutive offseason after a great first year with the Boston Red Sox. Most insiders foresee a reunion between Bregman and the Red Sox being the most likely outcome of his free agency, but there are other big market teams in the market for a third baseman this winter.
Among them, according to MLB insider Jeff Passan, are the Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies. He expects the Red Sox, Tigers and Cubs to be main players while the Phillies could be relegated to the sidelines as they have multiple other paths to pursue improvement this offseason.
Detroit and Chicago were major players in Bregman's first free agency until the end — even Bregman thought he was signing with the Tigers until his contract with Boston was complete. Their continued presence in the veteran's market is a good sign for the Red Sox for a few reasons, but mostly that he's already chosen Boston over them before.
Despite offering him a deal in his target range and more money overall than the Red Sox, Bregman still chose Boston over the Tigers. The Cubs have been in a similar spending pattern as the Sox in recent years — they're "in" on most major free agents that suit their needs, but are out-bid by bigger markets.
The Phillies could be the most dangerous competition for the Red Sox in Alex Bregman's market
Not only are the Tigers and Cubs seemingly less likely than the Red Sox to spend at this time, Boston is set up better for the long-term than its other opponents in the Bregman chase. The Red Sox have their ace, Garrett Crochet, their future franchise star, Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Brayan Bello all under contract for the next few seasons, which means they can focus more money and time into building around Bregman and whoever else they decide to bring in this winter (hopefully another slugger and a No. 2 starter).
The Phillies' presence in the Bregman market could get scary. Philadelphia has been one of the best teams in the National League for four seasons running, and it's had pretty rotten luck in the postseason, often running into the best teams in the mix. It came closest to a World Series in 2022 when it lost in the Fall Classic, but it's been a perennial playoff contender since.
With Dave Dombrowski at the helm of the Phillies organization, anything could happen this offseason. Red Sox fans know he's willing to get financially uncomfortable to build a winner, and if he sees Bregman as part of that operation, he could drive Bregman's price up and Boston out of contention for his services.
The Phillies are also hopeful they'll reunite with Kyle Schwarber, and after losing Ranger Suárez to free agency, they'll have to find another starting pitcher to fill his role. They have other needs to attend to this offseason, but so do the Red Sox.
In an opposite way to Passan's report, the Tigers and Cubs feel like the easy competition in Bregman's market compared to the Phillies. All three teams are definitely a threat to the Red Sox's chances at a reunion because they still haven't proven their willingness to spend whatever necessary to win in the American League East. If the Phillies are desperate to finally win the World Series they've been gunning for the last four years, it wouldn't be surprising to see them out-bid Boston for the third baseman it needs.