Red Sox reportedly lost Alex Bregman over an objectionable amount of money

Alex Bregman is a Chicago Cub. Despite us hearing all winter about how bringing back the star third baseman was a top priority, the Boston Red Sox let him slip through their fingers. Literally.

It would be one thing if the Cubs overpaid, in either money, years, or both, but that isn't the case. Five years for $175 million is what enticed the former Houston Astro to move to the Midwest, and reportedly, the Red Sox weren't far behind with their offer.

If Boston offered five-years, $160 million we're talking about a difference of $3 million in AAV, which is a drop in the bucket. Furthermore, Bregman is a Scott Boras client, so you know there's no way he didn't run, offer in hand, back to the Red Sox to get them to try and beat it (or at least match). That would lead one to believe that the club had the opportunity to beat out Chicago, but chose not to over such a paltry sum.

The Red Sox let Alex Bregman go over what amounts to a drop in the bucket monetarily

This should raise serious questions as to what exactly Craig Breslow's plan really is, if there even is one. Breslow turned the Red Sox's clubhouse upside-down last winter by signing Bregman and handling the fallout with Rafael Devers in the worst way possible, creating division where none was needed.

That led to the trade with the San Francisco Giants, which netted a pretty pitiful return. That, allegedly, was about fixing the chemistry and presumably keeping Bregman in the fold for the long haul, but now we can plainly see that the Devers trade is an unmitigated disaster.

Throw in the nonsensical excuse given for their uncompetitive offer to Pete Alonso, and it seems as if Breslow is flying blind. At the beginning of the offseason, it seemed like the Red Sox not only wanted to retain Bregman but also add a power bat, but these two whiffs show the club wasn't all that serious about either proposition.

The lineup is weak, and Boston has very few fallback options. Two of the three best hitters remaining in free agency, Cody Bellinger and Kyle Tucker, are outfielders, and the Red Sox have too many of those as it is. Bo Bichette is the only reasonable solution remaining to both fill a hole and add some legitimacy to the lineup.

Competition for Bichette is fierce, and if his $300 million asking price is true, does anyone realistically see the Red Sox coming anywhere close to what it would take to get a deal done? Given recent history, the answer needs to be a resounding no.

Sometimes it makes sense to let talented players walk if a competitor is willing to overpay, but in the case of Bregman, this is an unforced error of the highest magnitude, and one that will have Boston reeling for a long time.