The Boston Red Sox are considering Bo Bichette as a potential “alternative” to re-signing star third baseman Alex Bregman, The Athletic’s Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal reported Friday.

Sammon and Rosenthal wrote the Red Sox see retaining Bregman as a “priority,” but that “some with the club view Bo Bichette… as an intriguing alternative.”

Bichette hit free agency this winter following seven seasons and two All-Star campaigns with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Although he spent the majority of his time in Toronto at shortstop, Bichette debuted at second base during the 2025 World Series.

MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported in November that Bichette had “received interest from multiple teams who view him as a second baseman or third baseman.”

That could make him a potential fit even in Boston, where Craig Breslow told MassLive’s Christopher Smith in November he expects Trevor Story to start at shortstop next season.

The Red Sox could instead target second base, which was a position of weakness for the club in 2025, or third should Bregman walk in free agency.

Bregman signed a three-year, $120 million contract with the Red Sox last February, but opted out in November after driving up his free agency price with an AL All-Star campaign in 2025.

He has reportedly drawn interest from teams across MLB including the Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers, per recent reports from The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma and the New York Post’s Jon Heyman.

Should either club outbid the Red Sox after losing out on Bregman’s services last offseason, Boston could be looking for a new starter at third base.

Moving to another infield position could potentially lead to defensive improvements from Bichette, who was ranked by Baseball Savant as the weakest defender among MLB shortstops last season.

Breslow told Tim Healey of the Boston Globe in November that the Red Sox were looking for “a bat in the middle of the lineup that forces another team to game plan against.”

Bichette could potentially both take on this role and help fill in for Bregman should the Red Sox miss out on bringing him back in 2026.

Whether the Red Sox can successfully make a bid for Bichette could depend at least in part on the Blue Jays. MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson recently reported the club is expected to focus on their homegrown star during next week’s Winter Meetings in Orlando.