New year, same MLB free agency.
Alex Bregman remains a free agent, and a handful of teams around the league continue to express interest in the veteran third baseman. The Red Sox, the Blue Jays, the Diamondbacks, the Tigers, and the Cubs have all been connected to Bregman this winter.
As of Thursday, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported that two teams are upping their pursuit of Bregman.
“Sources believe the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks may be the two most aggressive clubs in the hunt for Bregman, though a Red Sox reunion remains a possibility,” Feinsand said.
On the flip side, Feinsand believes that the Sox’ interest in Blue Jays free agent infielder Bo Bichette could be impacting their aggressiveness for Bregman.
“Last month, Bichette’s camp let clubs know that he would be willing to move to second base, news that potentially opened his market to more suitors,“ Feinsand wrote. ”The Red Sox, who have Trevor Story at shortstop, are believed to be interested in Bichette, though it may come down to whether Boston prefers him to Bregman… Bichette’s future may be tied directly to what happens with Bregman, as the Blue Jays and Red Sox are in on both players.”
Fast-forward 24 hours later, ESPN’s Buster Olney went on TSN’s “1st Up” and reported Boston has made “an aggressive offer” to Bregman.
“I think Alex Bregman is going to go back to the Red Sox,” Olney said. “They valued him last summer.”
Bregman was a perfect fit for the Red Sox in 2025, providing leadership in the clubhouse, particularly to the younger players like Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kristian Campbell. He tore the cover off the ball to begin the season, hitting .299 with 11 homers and posting a .938 OPS in 51 games.
In his first season with the club, Bregman hit .273 with 18 homers, 28 doubles, 62 RBI, and 51 walks, with a .821 OPS in 114 games. He missed seven weeks of the year due to a right quad injury, and upon returning to the club, he completely cooled off at the plate, hitting just .250 with seven homers and 27 RBI, and owned a .727 OPS in the second half. He also scuffled at the plate in the month of September, hitting just .216 with two homers and nine RBI with 12 strikeouts in 88 at-bats.
The Sox are in this position because Bregman opted out of his deal following the season. Bregman earned $40 million, which includes deferrals, but forfeited the final $80 million owed to him to pursue a new long-term contract with either the Red Sox or a contender.
A handful of reputable websites have Bregman getting either a five-year, $170 million deal or a six-year deal to help lower the average annual value.
If Bregman bolts in free agency, the most obvious pivot is towards Bichette.
He makes sense, especially if he moves off shortstop to play either second or third base. Bichette has also crushed the ball at Fenway Park as a member of the Blue Jays. In 35 career games at Fenway Park, Bichette owns a .329/.382/.524 slash line with a .907 OPS, slugging six home runs and 10 doubles, and driving in 30 runs across 157 plate appearances. That production translates to a 149 wRC+ and a .386 wOBA.
If Bichette moves off position to come to Boston and he slides to second base, it allows the Red Sox to move