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Alex Bregman is the best remaining free agent on the board for MLB teams, and as his pursuit still seems wide open, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal weighed in on Monday with some pros and cons to the teams in the running.
The Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers remain two clubs interested in Bregman, but as Rosenthal points out, having to play 81 home games at Wrigley Field or Comerica Park could dissuade the 30-year-old right-handed hitter.
“Chicago’s Wrigley Field has been the third-most difficult park for right-handed hitters the past three seasons and Detroit’s Comerica Park the eighth-most difficult, according to Statcast,” he pointed out.
Having played his entire career in the American League, Bregman is no stranger to Comerica Park. As Rosenthal suggested, it hasn't been kind to him with Bregman sporting a .227 average and .702 OPS in 21 games played there.
Bregman has only played three games at Wrigley Field, but the small sample size isn't great either. He's 3-13 with a .462 OPS and no extra-base hits.
Now contrast Wrigley and Comerica with Fenway Park and Rogers Centre, homes of the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays respectively. As Rosenthal writes, Fenway ranks fourth-best for right-handed hitters and Rogers Centre as seventh-best. The Houston Astros' home of Minute Maid Park, where Bregman has played all of his home games, comes in smack in the middle at 14th in the league.
Alex Bregman is looking for a long-term contract
Even with Spring Training just days away, Bregman is sticking to his guns in terms of the type of deal he's looking for.
“Free agent third baseman Alex Bregman still has no interest in a short-term contract and seeks a 6- or 7-year deal,” Nightengale wrote on X last week.
It should be noted that Bregman is coming off a solid season, but one that is still not on par with the rest of his time in the Majors. He hit .260 with 26 home runs and won the Gold Glove at third base, but his .776 OPS was the lowest of his career. Bregman's walk rate was also a career worst (6.9%).
As Bregman remains unsigned, Red Sox president Sam Kennedy offered his stern take on the third baseman's pursuit on February 3.
“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, per MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo.
With Bregman looking for a deal that takes him into his late 30s, the Red Sox are reportedly hesitant to offer more than four years.