After the Houston Astros acquired Christian Walker, the New York Yankees signed Paul Goldschmidt, and the Los Angeles Dodgers and Teoscar Hernández completed their seemingly inevitable reunion, the competition for Alex Bregman's services is dwindling.
Yet, the Boston Red Sox don't seem any closer to signing a righty bat to bolster their lineup. Boston has been "in" on Bregman all offseason, among plenty of other teams interested in the veteran.
In many of the latest updates on Bregman's market, the Red Sox are not frontrunners for his services. MLB insider Jon Heyman, on the Jan 1 installment of his Bleacher Report livestream, named the Blue Jays and Tigers as the likeliest potential landing spots for the third baseman.
MLB insider Robert Murray is also not confident about the Sox's chances to land Bregman. On the Dec. 30 episode of "The Baseball Insiders" podcast, Murray said he does not think the Red Sox landing Bregman is "the most likely scenario in the entire world." He didn't count the Sox out entirely, but it doesn't sound like they're frontrunners for Bregman by any means.
Red Sox no longer appear to be frontrunners in Alex Bregman market
An MLB insider shared an update on where things stand between the Red Sox and Alex Bregman:https://t.co/sUvMAGIIok
— NESN (@NESN) January 2, 2025
Boston may be struggling to sign Bregman due to his asking price. The 30-year-old reportedly seeks a deal in the $200 million range, and the Red Sox haven't issued a free agent contract of that size in years. Despite the front office's promise to spend "even if it takes over the CBT," nothing about the team's offseason spending so far suggests it'll break tradition to sign Bregman.
After Tyler O'Neill signed with the Orioles in December, the Red Sox are even more desperate for a righty bat than in 2024. O'Neill contributed a team-leading 31 homers from the right side last season, and the Sox haven't signed a single bat — right-handed or otherwise — to make up for his production.
Bregman may be the best option for Boston to increase its offensive output. His history of success at Fenway Park suggests he'd be a great fit with the team. Bregman is slashing .375/.490/.750 with a 1.240 OPS and seven homers in 21 career appearances at Fenway. He batted .260/.315/.453 and won a Gold Glove last season in what may have been his final year with the Astros.
Bregman would be the best available pick offensively and defensively for the Red Sox. The club needs veterans to help teach the young core of position players in the big leagues and coming up through the farm system, and Bregman gets on base at a high clip and plays better defense than anyone in the Sox's infield. Boston's pitching has definitely improved this offseason, but its offense may be worse off next year if it doesn't act quickly to sign a righty bat.