Bregman opts out. Three moves the Red Sox could make
Before the start of the 2025 spring training, the Boston Red Sox signed former Silver Slugger Alex Bregman. Bregman became a focal point on both sides of the baseball batting .273 batting average and 18 home runs. The former Astro was also a big part of why Boston decided to move on from Rafael Devers.
Bregaman wasn’t just a leader on the field for the team; he was also a mentor for the young guys. The third baseman took players like Maecelo Mayer, Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell under his wing, helping them adjust to the Major League Baseball setting.
He helped the three build confidence at the big league level, whether it was in fielding or decisions at the plate. Bregman’s mentorship played a big part in Boston’s success, helping them to a playoff berth for time since 2021.
After a successful first season in Beantown, Bregman decided to opt out of his contract, effectively making him a free agent once again. The Red Sox have a couple of options when it comes to trying to re-sign him or trying to fill the void left behind.
The first option is very obvious, and that is to sign him back because his value goes beyond the field. Bregman is a great fit for Fenway Park, and his value to the team goes beyond his play. His mentorship makes the team significantly better, so it would be worth overpaying him.
The front office needs to gauge his value and make sure that when they pay him, they still leave enough money to sign and trade for other important pieces to bolster the pitching.
If Bregman is asking for too much, there are some free agents out there that Boston could go after, but they need their young guys to rise to the occasion in all these scenarios. If Bregman leaves, Mayer will likely have to move to the hot corner and become a consistent hitter at the plate. The Red Sox will also need to add Trevor Story back.
The first scenario the Red Sox front office could look into is signing Bo Bichette. Bichette, during a shortened regular season due to injury, is batted .311 with 94 RBIS.
The Blue Jays free agent returned during the World Series despite not being one hundred percent and came through in a couple of big moments for Toronto, including a three-run home run off of Shohei Ohtani in game seven.
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Bichette would cost around the same as Bregman, but could be the shortstop of the future for Boston. This scenario would require Mayer to move to third and Story to move to second. The Red Sox have the money to make a serious push for Bichette and should pursue him; however, the shortstop has constantly mentioned that he wants to remain in Toronto.
The next scenario Boston could look into is getting a big power bat to play first base to replace Bregman’s middle-of-the-lineup production.
The Boston Red Sox front office could go all in and go get potential MVP candidate Kyle Schwarber to add a slugger to their lineup. Schwarber played in Boston in 2021 and helped lead the team to an ALCS championship appearance.
Schwarber would help fill the void of losing Bregman and would give the Red Sox a high-end designated hitter for the first time since David Ortiz. Schwarber has been a dominant force with the Phillies, and if the Red Sox could snag him, they would have a chance to compete for a World Series.
If the Red Sox are worried about having too many lefties in their lineup, they could go for another NL East slugger in Pete Alonso. Alonso with the Mets batted .272 and had 38 home runs.
The slugger could provide a big righty bat for the team and could help replace Bregman’s power. He also helps fill the void at first base with questions looming around Tristian Casas. The Red Sox lacked power last year so they should target either one of these players whether Bregman returns or not.
The last option the Red Sox have is attack the third base postion head-on and go snag Eugenio Suarez from Seattle. Suarez would be another example of a perfect bat for Fenway he swings fits in excellantly for Fenway Park.
Suarez could also be a mentor for the young guys and Mayer could play his true at shortstop. The Red Sox would need to find pieces around Suarez since he wouldn’t completely fill the loss of Bregman.
In my opinion nobody can fill the void of losing Alex Bregman because of his mentorship. Bregman helped the young guys so much and despite his injuries he still had a signifcant impact. No player could fill the void of Bregman’s impact so for Boston I think its mandotory to get him back.
There will be a plenty of teams looking to snag Bregman out of the hands of Boston but if the Red Sox want to help their young stars improve Alex Bregman is the man for the job.
