Every team wants all the big-name stars on its roster in a vacuum, but free agency is about choosing priorities and operating based on what’s feasible.

For the Boston Red Sox, re-signing Alex Bregman is certainly one potential priority. But the team also has a serious need for power, for which Bregman and his 18 home runs this past season aren’t necessarily a fix.

One prominent baseball outlet recently projected the Red Sox’s opening day lineup, and it didn’t include Bregman. However, it did replace Bregman with another perennial All-Star, so it’s up for fans to debate whether the trade-off would put Boston in a better or worse position than they ended the year.

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Red Sox predicted to sign Pete Alonso

On Monday, Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter predicted that the Red Sox would sign five-time All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso away from the New York Mets to be their opening day cleanup hitter. Alonso was the only external addition included in Reuter’s projected lineup.

“If Pete Alonso does not once again find his way back to the Mets, the Red Sox appear to be his most likely landing spot, which would in turn make Triston Casas one of the more intriguing buy-low candidates on the trade market,” wrote Reuter.

“They also still have a logjam in the outfield, which could mean Gold Glove winner Ceddanne Rafaela sees more action at second base and less in the grass, though there are a lot of moving parts to what figures to be a busy offseason in Boston.”

Alonso crushed 38 home runs this season, which was almost a disappointment, considering he has three seasons of 40 or more in his seven years in the big leagues (one of which was shortened to 60 games). Meanwhile, the Red Sox were led in that category by Trevor Story with 25 long balls, and in case you’ve forgotten, Rafael Devers was traded to the San Francisco Giants.

Having a big bat in the Alonso realm would certainly boost the Red Sox’s offensive capacity, but it would be hard to replace Bregman’s defense and leadership. That’s why the debate will likely continue until long after decisions are actually made.