The Arizona Diamondbacks are among the teams interested in star free-agent infielder Alex Bregman, as first reported by Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
Which begs the question: Is this legitimate?
Absolutely. This is more than exploratory interest from the Diamondbacks. Their interest in Bregman, 31, is sincere. They have long liked him. He’s from New Mexico, so he’s familiar with the Southwest. They are far from the only team involved on him, with the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs among the teams interested (and the Cubs holding a Zoom meeting with Bregman earlier this winter, as first reported by FanSided).
Where would Bregman fit in Arizona? They could put him at third base, where top prospect Jordan Lawlar is hopeful of taking over in 2026. Bregman would be a massive upgrade at the position, giving them a surefire option at third that would allow them to deploy Lawlar elsewhere. The latter has only seen 97 at-bats at the Major League level, so the sample size is small, and Bregman would give them elite insurance for the 23-year-old in case he isn’t ready for a full-time role come Opening Day.
Diamondbacks have every reason to consider a run at Alex Bregman
After all, Bregman is still an elite player. He's coming off a season in Boston where he hit .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs and 62 RBI. He's a Gold Glove-caliber defender. He established himself as a leader in just one season with the Red Sox, and made a strong impression on both the coaching staff and front office.
But the Bregman pursuit feels directly linked to the Ketel Marte rumors. If they weren’t serious about moving Marte, they wouldn’t be having conversations with Bregman. It’s unlikely that the Diamondbacks would be able to afford both on their payroll. So this lends credence to the idea that Marte has a legitimate chance of being traded.
No trade involving Marte, however, is imminent. The Red Sox have checked in on Marte and if they lose out on Bregman, Marte becomes a more realistic option. There have been other teams involved. But as the offseason wears on, it feels like more and more people around baseball believe the chances of a Marte trade have increased.
So if Mike Hazen and the Diamondbacks front office swap Marte for Bregman, and get the haul that many expect in a trade for the former, it would be a huge coup for the organization. They wouldn’t see much of a drop-off in on-field production. They’d get a tremendous locker room presence, a player with a winning pedigree. And they’d get a haul of prospects – or even MLB-caliber talent – to supplement them now and going forward.
We’ve seen the Diamondbacks stun baseball by signing Corbin Burnes. It’s possible they do it again by signing Bregman – and then by shipping out Marte, their superstar infielder.