Alex Cora lays down gauntlet to Craig Breslow, Red Sox brass amid Alex Bregman stalemate

While most MLB teams are rounding out their offseasons, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora is pressing his front office to add the best remaining free agent on the market to the roster prior to spring training. Alex Bregman's had a long winter, with the Scott Boras client holding out for a long-term deal, to no avail. There are still several teams interested in signing Bregman – including the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Cubs, Tigers and perhaps even the Astros at the right price point.

Yet, few if any of those teams want to give Bregman a long-term deal. The gold glove third baseman is on the wrong side of 30 years old and coming off a down season offensively, in which he had a .768 OPS, the lowest of his career. Bregman can still provide sound defense and some pop in the middle of any lineup, but the question should be raised if he's worth his asking price. Boras hasn't budged, but doesn't have much leverage.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work onThe Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

Alex Cora puts pressure on Red Sox front office to sign Alex Bregman

In fact, Bregman's best leverage may be his former coaches in Cora and AJ Hinch. In Boston, Cora has long been on Bregman's side, though there's little he can do to force Craig Breslow to make a move. If you read between the lines of his latest comment about Boston's chances, though, he does apply a hint of pressure. The Red Sox front office threatened to go 'full throttle' two winters ago. While they've made some nice moves since then, they've been far from the aggressor in free agency.

“Thirty teams in the big leagues, they’re going to say all the right things — We’re a playoff team and our goal is to win the World Series,” Cora said. “For me, honestly, this year it’s about work. Last year we were very loud about how we are a World Series contender. This year is about working and getting better.”

Cora is ready to go to work, and achieving the Red Sox ultimate goal would be a whole lot easier with Bregman in the lineup on a regular basis. Signing Bregman would create a bit of a logjam in the Red Sox infield. Rafael Devers may have to switch positions. Boston could trade Triston Casas, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense on the surface given his age and production. Bregman could even play second base. The Red Sox have options, even if they aren't comfortable.

Winning a World Series hardly is.