Alex Bregman has opted out of his contract with the Boston Red Sox to become one of, if not the best third baseman in this year's free agent class. Despite his choice, most insiders and reporters seem to believe that a reunion between Bregman and the Red Sox will be the most likely outcome of his second foray into free agency (subscription required).
Not everyone agrees that Bregman will return to Boston, despite the club's success with him and his embrace of the city. MLB insider Jim Bowden is one of them, and he thinks it may be the Red Sox who get cold feet (subscription required).
“The Red Sox loved their time with Alex Bregman and appreciated all he did on and off the field. That said, I’m not sure they’ll be willing to commit to Bregman on a long-term contract at his market price,” he wrote.
Bregman's market could be more robust than it was last season due to an underwhelming class of free agent infielders and teams around MLB saw the winning attitude he brought to Boston, regardless of his offensive performance. Bregman sought a six-year deal with a price around $200 million last season, and the Red Sox refused to sign him for that price last go-round — it makes sense to assume it could happen again.
Red Sox could end up regretting Rafael Devers trade if Alex Bregman signs elsewhere in free agency
But if the Red Sox can't convince Bregman to re-sign, their list of internal backup plans is much shorter since they traded their former franchise player, Rafael Devers, in June.
The Devers trade has already come back to bite Boston, in a way. The Red Sox ranked 27th in MLB in home runs in the second half of the season, and they were one of the worst slugging teams in the postseason. Despite his early struggles and the mid-season trade, Devers finished the season with 35 home runs and 109 RBI, both of which would've led the Red Sox.
The Bregman signing is one of the reasons Devers was traded in the first place, whether the front office will admit it or not. Letting Bregman walk the year after trading the team's best home run hitter who was also on a 10-year extension should be unacceptable. Unfortunately, reuniting with Bregman will be even harder post-Devers trade, since Boston gave up most of its leverage by making him their only third baseman in 2025.
If they miss out on Bregman, the Red Sox may have to sign Eugenio Suárez, who's still an excellent offensive option, but his defense ranked in the ninth percentile in 2025, just one point better than Devers' the year prior. Signing Suárez instead of Bregman would be starting back at square one defensively, which was clearly a dealbreaker last year as the Red Sox forced Devers off third base.
Even in the moment, the Devers trade seemed shortsighted to some. If Bowden's report about the Red Sox's pursuit of Bregman ends up coming true, those beliefs will be confirmed.