The Boston Red Sox need a right-handed bat, but at this stage of the MLB offseason, which players are still available?
Longtime Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman remains unsigned as a free agent. The Red Sox reportedly have shown interest in Bregman, who knows Boston manager Alex Cora well from their time together in Houston.
St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado could be available via trade. Arenado has put together some great offensive seasons in his 12-year career between the Rockies and Cardinals.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
So, what's the latest on both players' futures, and where do the Red Sox stand?
More Red Sox coverage
Alex Bregman
MLB insider Ken Rosenthal gave an update on Bregman's situation during Monday's episode of his podcast Foul Territory.
“What I believe is happening here is that the Red Sox are simply saying, ‘We don’t think he’s going to Toronto, we don’t think Detroit is going to sign him, so we’re gonna take our chances that no one else will (sign him), and we are going to leverage this and negotiate as hard as possible,'” Rosenthal said.
“If they do that, and they get Bregman, more power to them. That's a good strategy, it's a good negotiating tactic. The problem is, they still might not get Bregman and we’re not exactly sure whether their front office wants to commit to Bregman.”
If the Red Sox keep Rafael Devers at third base, where would Bregman play? Second base is probably the best fit.
"Raffy Devers is our third baseman," Cora said at Fenway Fest over the weekend. "Alex was a Gold Glover at third base. But in 2017, I had a conversion with (Bregman) -- he needed to play third because of Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve. I always envisioned Alex as a Gold Glover second baseman. His size, the way he moves, it felt like a second baseman. But he's played third base at a high level."
"Rafael Devers is our third baseman... I always envisioned Alex as a gold glover 2nd baseman."@ac13alex talks free agent infielder Alex Bregman 👀@TomCaron | @LouMerloni | #RedSox pic.twitter.com/CSc2ThZEnh
— NESN (@NESN) January 11, 2025
Bregman batted .260 with 26 home runs, 75 RBI, 30 doubles, 79 runs scored and a .315 on-base percentage last season, in addition to winning an American League Gold Glove Award at third base.
Nolan Arenado
MLB.com's John Denton reported on Jan. 6 that the Red Sox "have emerged as a strong candidate to land Arenado via a trade from the Cardinals."
The Athletic's Katie Woo wrote on Jan. 7 that "while several teams inquired about Arenado in early December, the number of Arenado’s preferred destinations is small and it’s unclear if any of those teams are interested."
"Multiple league sources indicate the Red Sox represent Arenado’s last chance to get dealt before the 2025 season. If Boston misses on Bregman, it could pivot to trading for Arenado," Woo added.
Arenado is under contract for three more seasons and will be a free agent after the 2027 campaign. So if the Red Sox want him, they would have to trade for him and give up assets (like prospects or a young MLB player). Bregman would only cost the Red Sox money because he's a free agent.
Arenado batted .272 with 16 homers, 71 RBI, 23 doubles and a .325 on-base percentage last season. His home run and RBI totals have decreased in each of the last three seasons, and he's also three years older than Bregman.
It'll be interesting to see what the Red Sox do to bolster their lineup before Opening Day. They've made some decent pitching acquisitions so far this offseason, but they still need a productive right-handed hitter.