As the Boston Red Sox attempt to upgrade their offense after several significant additions to their pitching staff, they are reported to be stepping up their pursuit of Houston Astros free agent third baseman Alex Bregman. But their chase of the two-time All-Star appears to face a major obstacle: the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers are now considered the favorites to land Bregman, who would be reunited in Detroit with his former Houston manager A.J. Hinch. But in a Monday Zoom conference with Boston media, Red Sox baseball operations chief Craig Breslow said that adding a right-handed power bat to the lineup remains one of his two top priorities for the remainder of the offseason, the other being further bolstering the bullpen.
With reported top target Bregman seemingly leaning toward Detroit, a leading Red Sox blogger, who calls himself BallPark Buzz, has urged the Red Sox to raid the Tigers’ own talent pool and engineer a trade for Detroit’s 2020 first round draft pick, who was also the No. 1 overall selection in that year’s MLB amateur draft. At the time, Arizona State first baseman Spencer Torkelson was described by MLB.com as “a special offensive talent, maybe the best in the draft since Mark Teixeira in 2001,” and the first corner infielder taken first overall since Teixeira.
“If Detroit signs Bregman, they will have a logjam in the infield. Torkelson has been widely inconsistent but he has had a 31 HR season back in 2023. He can play first occasionally and DH vs lefties,” wrote BallPark Buzz on his X (formerly Twitter) account. “Career .470 slugging percentage vs LHP. Former #1 pick. Change of scenery candidate. Isn’t a free agent until 2029.”
After a slow rookie season in 2022, Torkelson appeared to hit his stride last season. He blasted 31 home runs – though on the down side, he struck out 171 times, 11th-most in the major leagues. He regressed considerably in 2024, hitting only four home runs while fanning 56 times in 54 games before Detroit sent him back down to the minor league Toledo Mud Hens on June 3.
More MLB: Blockbuster Trade Projection Would Send Marlins $56 Million Ace To Giants His struggles make him appear to be a likely trade candidate, and one that would not cost the Red Sox any of their remaining elite prospects. However, on Dec. 27 Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said he believed Torkelson would fit into Detroit’s future plans.
“My message to Tork was, if you have a big offseason and a big spring training, there’s a role for you on this team,” Harris was quoted as saying. “This team needs more right handed power and we’ve seen Tork do that in the past.” The Red Sox, whose lineup is now almost entirely left-handed, are also in need of right handed power in their lineup, making Torkelson a good trade target, though not a major one.
