The Boston Red Sox signed Alex Bregman last offseason, but when he opted out of his three-year, $120 million deal following an All-Star season, he once again became a top free agent on the market.
Bregman was not only a great player for the Red Sox, but he was also a great mentor for the younger players on the team. He was a two-time All-Star with the Houston Astros before signing with the Red Sox, but had not been the same caliber of player since his last All-Star nod in 2019. Last season, he was closer to that version of himself.
In his two All-Star seasons with the Astros, Bregman slashed .291/.409/.561 with 72 home runs. In the next five seasons, he had a .261/.350/.445 slash line. Last year, he was an All-Star again and is looking to get paid.
MLB analyst Ben Verlander predicted Bregman would leave the Red Sox to join the Detroit Tigers.
The Tigers pursued Bregman last winter and could be aggressive in trying to get him this winter. He will want a long-term deal, and the Red Sox may not want to pay the price. While Bregman is great, he could block Marcelo Mayer from playing. Mayer played third base while Bregman was hurt, but came up as a shortstop. Trevor Story has that spot blocked, and the Red Sox have already signed Kristian Campbell to an extension.
When Campbell makes his return to the big leagues, Mayer may be the odd man out. He was one of Boston’s best prospects coming into the season, and he needs to have a path to the field. Losing Bregman would be a huge blow, but they could reinvest that money into a different position, perhaps first base, and hand the keys at third base to Mayer.
The Tigers are contenders and could stand in the way of the Red Sox making a World Series run. Adding Bregman would make the Tigers even better and perhaps force the Red Sox to sign a player like Pete Alonso or Kyle Schwarber.
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