The Boston Red Sox never made a move for Kyle Schwarber at the Winter Meetings. They came up short when it came to signing a power-hitting first baseman in Pete Alonso. The Red Sox had a solid season and made the playoffs as a Wild Card team, but they are not a championship team yet. The failure to bring in a star slugger to this point in the offseason is an issue for Red Sox Nation and puts pressure on general manager Craig Breslow.
The Red Sox are in need of at least one blockbuster move during the offseason if they are going to make a run at the American League East title. That move means they need to bring back 3rd baseman Alex Bregman.
It can be argued that bringing back a player who was central to their team and success last season is not a blockbuster. However, Bregman does not have a long history with the Red Sox. Last year was his only season in Boston after 9 notable seasons in Houston with the Astros.
Bregman is not a young phenom. He is a 31-year-old player and he had injury problems last season. He opted out of this 3-year contract after one season, giving up the final two years that would have paid him $40 million each season.
The former Astro did not sign with the Red Sox until shortly before the start of spring training last year and he and agent Scott Boras must have thought that a new deal for a better term or more money must have been coming. So far, it has not.
It seems likely that the Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers are the teams that still want Bregman. The Arizona Diamondbacks could alos get involved in making an offer. But it does not look like any of those teams will offer Bregman more than he received last season.
Losing Bregman would hurt the Red Sox badly
Injuries held Bregman to playing 114 games for the Red Sox last year. He slashed .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs and 62 runs batted in. He also did a spectacular job in the field, upgrading the Red Sox play at 3rd base.
Rafael Devers had been the team's 3rd baseman prior to Bregman's arrival, but the conflict of leaving his position forced the Red Sox to trade their best hitter to the San Francisco Giants. If they went into the 2026 season without Bregman or Devers, it would be a major problem.
Devers is not coming back, so they need to bring back Bregman. It's more important to re-sign him than make sure they get the best deal possible. This is not the time to show Bregman who's boss. This is the time to bring him back into the fold.
Red Sox need to trade one of their outfielders
Signing Bregman should be the move the Red Sox make in free agency, but it is not the only move they should make. They have a glut in the outfield with young phenom Roman Anthony, centerfielder Ceddanne Rafaela, left fielder Jarren Duran and right fielder Wilyer Abreu.
Anthony appears to have a chance to be a superstar and he needs to be a fixture in the middle of the lineup. He flashed his talent after the Red Sox promoted him from Triple-A last year, and manager Alex Cora is hoping for a full season of productivity. He missed the final month of the season with an oblique injury.
Rafaela is one of the best centerfielders in either league, and while he is a streaky hitter who goes cold too often, the Red Sox are not taking him out of their outfield.
The Red Sox should be able to trade Duran or Abreu and get a quality 1st or 2nd baseman. The Red Sox are lacking at both positions, although second-year infielder Marcelo Mayer could turn out to be the 2nd baseman they have been looking for. Mayer showed off his fielding ability after he was promoted last year, but he had season-ending wrist surgery in August.
A trade for a 1st baseman would allow the the Red Sox to avoid putting Triston Casas in the lineup. While Casas has size and some power, he is a below average fielder and a poor runner. He struggled to hit in the clutch and appears to be a liability.
While most expect the Sox to trade Duran, the belief here is that it would be better to keep him. Abreu has won back to back Gold Gloves and he is coming off a 22-home run season.
Trading Duran would be a mistake. He is an extra base machine at the plate. He led the American League in doubles and triples in 2024 and he led the AL in triples last season while belting 16 home runs and driving in a career-best 84 runs. Additionally, Duran is one of the best base runners in the American League, stealing 34 bases in '24 and 24 last season.
The Red Sox need to hold on to Duran and trade Abreu for a 1st baseman who can replace Casas.
