The Red Sox are reportedly “prioritizing” Alex Bregman

While the majority of attention numbers down the road will focus on the outfield market Juan SotoWith last night’s decision to sign a record-breaking deal with the Mets, another beneficiary of the failed suitors’ expected aggressiveness toward the rest of the free-agent market could be third baseman Alex Bregman. WEEI’s Rob Bradford reported last night that the Red Sox could “immediately prioritize” pursuing Bregman after signing Soto as they look to use those funds to sign other top free agents, while Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported this morning that the Yankees are also “expected” to take on the top infielder in free agency.

The Red Sox were reported as a potential suitor for Bregman earlier this winter, but their interest was not clear until now. Now it looks like they may have more interest in adding the 30-year-old veteran to their roster after failing to land Soto. Bregman certainly makes a lot of sense for the Red Sox, as a right-handed hitter with a career .277/.367/.494 slash line against southpaws, he would help balance a heavily left-handed lineup. Additionally, the club’s crowded outfield mix makes the infield perhaps the most obvious place for Boston to supplement the lineup, although they appear to have prioritized adding pitching help at this point in the offseason (aside from their pursuit of Soto). .

Perhaps the biggest obstacle to Bregman landing in Boston is a somewhat questionable positional adjustment. Bregman has spent virtually his entire big league career at the hot corner, which is currently occupied by Rafael Devers at Fenway Park. However, it’s easy to imagine how the Red Sox could incorporate Bregman into their plans if they are sufficiently motivated to do so. Bregman has expressed a willingness to move to second base if his new team desires, and the Red Sox have also reportedly considered moving Devers from third base to either a first base or DH role relocate. Because they are top prospects, both plans have potential flaws Kristian Campbell as a potential big league-ready long-term solution at keystone and the Devers’ reported desire to remain at third base for the foreseeable future, but these are issues that could certainly be avoided if Boston were sufficiently motivated.

The Yankees, meanwhile, have been speculatively pursuing Bregman’s services, but there have been no reports that they are interested in the veteran. The club will certainly aggressively upgrade its roster now that Soto has landed elsewhere and an infield devoid of security Jazz Chisholm Jr. And Anthony Volpe is an obvious starting point. The club had reported interest in shortstop Willy Adames as a candidate to play either second or third base before signing with the Giants over the weekend, and Bregman is certainly the logical fit for that role.

Chisholm played third base for the Yankees after being acquired from the Marlins last summer and played into the postseason, but has far more experience at the keystone, so the addition of a proven third baseman like Bregman strengthens the club at both This could allow Chisholm to return to his natural position while adding a reliable hitter to his team who has never posted a wRC+ lower than 114 in a season. A theoretical obstacle to the Yankees signing Bregman could be dissatisfaction with the third baseman being part of the 2017 Astros team that was involved in the infamous sign-stealing scandal, although the same applies to shortstop Carlos Correa And GM Brian Cashman’s front office didn’t let that stop them from pursuing him when he was still a free agent three years ago.

Of course, the AL East’s longtime archrivals aren’t the only suitors for Bregman’s services. The Phillies, Blue Jays and Tigers all reportedly have at least some interest in the veteran infield this winter, and the incumbent Astros are perhaps his most obvious suitor of all. Houston already made an offer to Bregman’s camp this winter that was reportedly in the range of six years and $156 million. However, he is reportedly looking for a deal in the $200 million range, and that gap could make room for one of his other suitors to step in and pry him away from the Astros. That has led the club to explore contingency plans if Bregman signs elsewhere, such as as an infielder Jorge Polanco and first baseman Christian WalkerGM Dana Brown made it clear in an appearance on MLBNetwork Radio yesterday that retaining the star third baseman remains the club’s top priority.

“We’re working on it… we’re having a lot of conversations with Scott (Boras) and, you know, we’re optimistic.” Brown said of her pursuit of Bregman. He further made it clear that he expects the club to seek outside help at third base even if Bregman is not re-signed in free agency this winter. Brown pointed out that he believes the club’s internal infield solutions are still six months to a year away from being ready for big league action, suggesting that for Houston there is at least a stopgap solution at the hot corner like Polanco will be necessary if they fail to bring Bregman back into the fold.