The Boston Red Sox may lose third baseman Alex Bregman to an unexpected team.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are reported by Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY and Jon Heyman of the New York Post to be “kicking the tires” on the possibility of signing the star third baseman. This could lead to a Ketel Marte trade.
This is a shocking development for the Red Sox, who were hoping to keep Bregman as their top priority in free agency.
Bregman opted out of his two remaining years on his three-year, $120 million contract with Boston.
Since his agent is Scott Boras and since he declined an expensive option, it’s more than likely that he could be looking for a substantial raise.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel projected Bregman to sign a five-year, $170 million deal, which would be below Bregman’s previous contract in terms of Average Annual Value, but more long-term.
Now, with all these teams in competition with Boston, it’s possible that this could create a bidding war for the 32-year-old Bregman.
So, is it worth it to keep Bregman?
Alex Bregman’s Production With Boston Red Sox
The three-time all-star and two-time World Series champion with the Houston Astros in 2017 and 2022, hit 18 home runs with an .821 OPS last year with Boston. This made him a premier free agent after his all-star appearance in 2025.
His plate discipline was elite in 2025, being over the 90th percentile in chase, whiff and squared-up rate, per Baseball Savant.
Bregman has never struck out at a high rate in his career, which is a rarity in today’s game of baseball. He also provides above-average defense at third base.
Playing 114 games with Boston in 2025, Bregman suffered a quad injury that ended up sidelining him for nearly two months.
While the injury history is not bad for Bregman, as he has played in 140 or more games in six of his nine seasons (not including the 2020 season, where only 60 games were played), it is still worrisome to have a soft-tissue lower-body injury at his age.
How Would Boston Fare Without Bregman?
Losing Bregman would create a giant hole at third base, making the price potentially worth it to re-sign him.
As of now, there are not many quality in-house options to replace Bregman. Boston could either trade for/sign a less expensive veteran to fill the void or go with one of the young guns.
Kristian Campbell or Marcelo Mayer, two of Boston’s high-upside young players, could potentially fill that hole. But it would not be ideal to hand the keys over to one of them, given their offensive struggles in 2025, albeit in limited at-bats.
Campbell batted .223 with a .664 OPS and has only played five career games in the minors at third base, meaning that he would likely move to second base.
Mayer would likely be the better fit defensively, playing 39 of his 49 major league games at the hot corner. However, Mayer also struggled offensively, hitting .228 with a .674 OPS.
Either way, it would not look good from an offensive perspective if Bregman left Boston.
The Toronto Blue Jays have vastly improved this offseason, signing Dylan Cease, among others, to big deals.
The Red Sox must bring back Bregman to keep pace with the AL Champions.
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