For much of the offseason, Alex Bregman looked like a perfect fit for the Boston Red Sox. He's a right-handed hitter, which the Red Sox need. He expressed a willingness to play second base, a position at which the Red Sox lack an established starter. Boston talked all offseason about how they had a substantial amount of money to spend in pursuit of getting back to World Series contention, and here was an All-Star to put it toward.
Bregman is still available for the taking, and yet, the Red Sox are almost certainly out of the running, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan on an appearance on The Michael Kay Show.
“I don’t think Boston is particularly likely to happen at this point.”
— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) January 29, 2025
- @JeffPassan on Bregman and the Red Sox
Given how much talking Boston leadership did earlier this offseason about their desire to win, the fact that they aren't spending like the big-market team that they are for Bregman — especially after not signing any of the other high-end free agents available — is a bad look. Yes, the Red Sox traded for Garrett Crochet, but he's making under $4 million in 2025. They should, and almost certainly do, have money to spend, yet are electing not to spend it on a player who'd fit their roster as well as anyone out there right now.
Assuming a major shift doesn't occur, and Bregman ends up signing elsewhere, here's what Boston's Opening Day lineup might look like.
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Red Sox Bregman-less Opening Day lineup features star prospect at second base
Batting Order | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
1 | Jarren Duran | LF |
2 | Rafael Devers | 3B |
3 | Triston Casas | 1B |
4 | Trevor Story | SS |
5 | Masataka Yoshida | DH |
6 | Connor Wong | C |
7 | Wilyer Abreu | RF |
8 | Kristian Campbell | 2B |
9 | Ceddanne Rafaela | CF |
A quick glance at Boston's projected Opening Day lineup shows exactly why Bregman would fit so nicely. The top three hitters in this order are all left-handed. An argument can be made that the five best hitters in this order (Devers, Duran, Casas, Yoshida, Abreu) are all left-handed. Bregman might be coming off a down year, but he still launched 26 home runs, has great numbers at Fenway Park and, of course, is right-handed.
Bregman's omission, however, does open a clear lane for MLB Pipeline's No. 7 overall prospect, Kristian Campbell, to slot in as Boston's Opening Day second baseman. Campbell would have to prove he's worthy of an Opening Day roster spot in Spring Training, but based on what we've seen him do in his brief time as a professional, there's no reason to believe he'll be overmatched in any way.
Campbell, a fourth-round pick back in 2023, began the 2024 campaign in High-A and ended it in Triple-A. He slashed .330/.439/.558 overall with 20 home runs and 77 RBI, tacking on 32 doubles and 24 stolen bases. He's the complete package, and his ability to move all around the diamond defensively only makes him more intriguing.
Only 19 of the 115 games he played in 2024 came at the Triple-A level, but he hit four home runs in just 70 at-bats and posted an .898 OPS. Campbell looked more than comfortable at the Minor Leagues' toughest level, and should be given a shot to earn Boston's second base job, especially if the stiffest competition in the organization is David Hamilton and Vaughn Grissom.
Eventually, the Red Sox are going to have to be aggressive. If they refuse to do that in free agency, they might as well do so with one of their several high-end prospects. Campbell probably won't be Bregman in 2025, but he's the No. 7 prospect for a reason - he's got superstar potential, and is a player Red Sox fans should be beyond excited to see in Spring Training (and hopefully, Opening Day).