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With Spring Training approaching and Alex Bregman still unsigned, Boston Red Sox president Sam Kennedy wasn't in the mood to mince words.
“I’m not allowed to talk about any specific free agent negotiations or anything, but given that he’s unsigned, I think that speaks for itself,” he said, MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo reported on Monday.
Bregman is rumored to be seeking a long-term deal but the Red Sox do not seem interested in going beyond four years, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. The Houston Astros reportedly offered him a six-year deal earlier in the offseason that the third baseman rejected.
Despite Kennedy's words, the Red Sox have been seen as favorites for Bregman as recently as late last week, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported.
“The Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox loom as co-favorites for 3B Alex Bregman with no movement in Astros talks,” he wrote in a post via X on Friday.
With the Tigers bringing back Jack Flaherty and seemingly all-in on contending in 2025, it may in fact come down between them and Boston, as Nightengale reported. The Tigers made a surprise playoff run last season while the Red Sox finished 81-81, missing the postseason for the third straight year.
How Alex Bregman fits on the Red Sox
Bregman and the Red Sox don't seem like natural partners. Bregman is primarily a third baseman, and Boston has franchise cornerstone Rafael Devers manning the position. But Red Sox manager Alex Cora has said previously that he could see Bregman playing second base for the Red Sox.
“I've always envisioned Alex as a Gold Glove second baseman,” he said in an appearance on MLB Network in January. “You know, his size, the way he moves, it felt like you will be a second baseman but he has played third base at a high level, so we'll see where he ends up and where he ends up playing.”
Boston is known to be looking for another right-handed bat to bolster their lineup and Bregman fits the bill. The two-time All-Star is coming off an age 30 season in which he hit .260 with 26 home runs and a .768 OPS. Though he's yet to replicate the numbers he put up in 2019 when he finished second in AL MVP voting (41 home runs, 119 walks, 8.9 bWAR), he has been a consistent slugger through his career.
ESPN's Jeff Passan indicated on the Talkin' Baseball podcast last week that Boston may be a long-shot for Bregman, saying,”I don't know that he's gonna end up in Boston at this point,” but every day closer to Spring Training increases the likelihood that he takes a deal somewhere. It may come down to whether the Tigers are willing to offer a longer-term contract.
