Another day into February and, much to the chagrin of the majority of the Boston Red Sox fanbase, Alex Bregman isn't heading down to JetBlue Park in Fort Myers just yet. Bregman, perhaps out of boredom or desperation, has become the white whale among Red Sox fans this offseason as Craig Breslow has continued to preach about the need for an impact right-handed bat, which Bregman would be.
The disconnect, however, has been that Breslow and the Red Sox have seemed unwilling to play ball with what Bregman and his agent, Scott Boras, have wanted. The longtime Astros third baseman has been seeking a long-term contract worth something in the assumed $30 million per year range. But suitors like the Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs have not been able to satisfy those terms, which is why he remains unsigned.
For so much of the offseason, it's felt like Breslow and the Red Sox have been in a standoff with Boras about the length of a deal. They clearly need his right-handed bat that should be perfect for Fenway Park in the lineup, not mention his veteran clubhouse leadership. At the same time, it's perfectly reasonable to not want to overextend on a deal for a player showing signs of some decline on the wrong side of 30.
Thus, a short-term deal has always been smart, even if frustrating, for the Red Sox to stick behind and hope that Boras and Bregman eventually cave. And it sounds like they might finally be starting to do so.
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Alex Bregman being less likely to get a long-term deal is great news for the Red Sox
On Monday's episode of The Baseball Insiders, FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray gave his latest update on Bregman and, with how things have transpired, Murray is skeptical that the free agent infielder gets the long-term deal he's been searching for.
"With Bregman, last week it seemed, at least publicly with the kind of things that were being said, that it could end up coming that week. But checking behind the scenes, nothing was really close with Bregman, that there was no real movement whatsoever, and he still seeks a long-term contract. At this point in the offseason, I am pretty skeptical that it will ultimately end up getting it. And if you look at the Tigers, you look at the Cubs, you look at the Red Sox, you look at some of these other teams that could possibly be involved here, I don't think they're going to be in a hurry to give him that long-term offer. Signing a short-term deal that allows him to get to free agency again next offseason could ultimately be the best move here for a guy like Bregman."
Murray went on to note that he wouldn't name a favorite but expects that one of the Red Sox, Tigers or Cubs would be the team Bregman ultimately ends up on. He also noted that the reported Blue Jays interest was not something he had heard on his end.
Whenever Pete Alonso re-signed with the New York Mets on a short-term deal (not to mention deals for Blake Snell and Cody Bellinger previously), it always felt like this could come back in Breslow and Boston's favor with Bregman. It's the playbook the Red Sox, albeit pre-Breslow, ran with J.D. Martinez. However, with a competitive market, that play is far less effective to run. Now, though, it seems as if that market is all largely in a similar boat to Boston.
If Bregman wants to be in Boston, which would make sense considering he has a career 1.240 OPS at Fenway, then a short-term deal, even just a one-year contract, is frankly ideal for the Red Sox. They're worried about his long-term prospects, especially with the youth in the farm system with guys like Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell in the infield specifically, but need him for the 2025 season at least. A short-term contract at high AAV would fill that hole but not leave the potential for Boston to get burned years down the line.
Obviously, with how many twists and turns there have been with Bregman to this point in the winter, there could still be more to come. But after Breslow and the Red Sox were cooked for not wanting to "get uncomfortable" with Bregman, it might be coming back to work in Boston's favor before it's all said and done.