Alex Bregman’s departure in free company leaves the Boston Crimson Sox in a tough spot.
When the Crimson Sox signed Bregman final February to be their third baseman, it led to a rift with their incumbent star on the place, Rafael Devers.
And when the Crimson Sox traded the disgruntled Devers to the San Francisco Giants in June, many anticipated Boston to re-sign Bregman this winter and lock him in as a long-term franchise cornerstone.
However seven months later, the Crimson Sox not make use of Devers nor Bregman, who reached a contract with the Chicago Cubs over the weekend for 5 years and $175 million with deferrals.
“We do this job because we are competitive and we want to deliver a championship to our fans, and falling short in a pursuit is an obstacle to that.”
Bregman, who turns 32 in March, selected Chicago over a Crimson Sox supply reported to be for 5 years and $165 million with heavy deferrals.
Bregman’s exit leaves a void within the Crimson Sox lineup, the place he hit .273 with 18 dwelling runs and an .821 OPS in 114 video games, primarily batting second or third.
It leaves a void at third base, the place Bregman supplied his typical above-average protection.
And it leaves a void within the Boston clubhouse, the place the battle-tested Bregman rapidly emerged as a pacesetter.
Boston now should decide find out how to pivot. The highest remaining free-agent infielder is Bo Bichette, a two-time All-Star who batted .311 with 18 dwelling runs in 139 video games for the Toronto Blue Jays final season.
However Bichette, who turns 28 in March, is a profession shortstop who has by no means performed second or third base — the Crimson Sox’s greatest vacancies — in a regular-season sport. He’s anticipated to command a mega-contract that would exceed $300 million.
Different choices embrace free-agent third baseman Eugenio Suarez, who clubbed 49 homers in 2025 however is just not the all-round hitter or defender that Bregman is.
“We’ll be open to any way to improve our team,” Breslow informed MassLive. “Free agency is an obvious path, but so are trades. We will try to continue to add offense, but leaning into pitching and defense is another way to boost our win total.”
The Crimson Sox signed Bregman — a Scott Boras shopper — final winter to a three-year, $120 million contract with opt-outs. The deal paid rapid dividends, as Bregman helped lead Boston to an 89-73 report and its first postseason look in 4 years.
However Bregman opted out after the Crimson Sox’s season-ending loss to the Yankees within the Wild Card spherical, making him one of the vital in-demand gamers on the open market.
Breslow declined to say whether or not Boston approached Bregman with a contract extension through the season or to invest over why he chosen Chicago.
What is obvious, nonetheless, is that the Crimson Sox have some heavy lifting to do in the event that they’re going to construct on final yr’s success.
Boston’s greatest swings of the offseason have been the additions of right-handed starter Sonny Grey and power-hitting first baseman Willson Contreras in separate trades with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Grey, 36, figures to fit between ace Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello within the Crimson Sox rotation, whereas the regular Contreras, 33, turns into one of many higher bats in a Crimson Sox lineup that additionally consists of Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran and Trevor Story.
However on paper, the Crimson Sox aren’t as harmful with out Bregman within the coronary heart of their order.
And followers are nonetheless ready for Boston to make a marquee splash with the cash it saved by buying and selling away Devers and the greater than $250 million that was left on his contract.
“This job requires balancing long and short term interests and making the best decisions for the organization, difficult as they [may] be,” Breslow mentioned.
“It means losing out on good players sometimes. However, while we will enter the ’26 season with different personnel, there will be no less resolve to compete for the division and make a deep [postseason] run.”
