Spring training begins next week and the Boston Red Sox remain in the mix to acquire two veteran righty infielders by two different means.
They could spend for free agent third baseman Alex Bregman or trade for Nolan Arenado from the seemingly desperate Cardinals. Neither is a perfect fit for the roster and some shuffling would be required to add either player to the infield, but their bats may be worth the cost.
The Red Sox would prefer to sign Bregman than trade for Arenado to bolster their batting order, according to John Denton of MLB.com. Bregman’s market is small, with the Astros, Blue Jays, Cubs, Tigers and Sox in the mix for his services, but none of the teams seem willing to meet his asking price of six to seven years at $200 million. Houston increased its offer to the third baseman on Feb. 6, but the hike is still not enough to entice him into re-signing.
Denton characterized the Sox’s pursuit of Bregman as a “bidding war.” After the front office’s many statements indicating it planned to go above and beyond to improve the team this year, it has no excuse for losing.
Red Sox reportedly prefer to sign Alex Bregman instead of trading for Nolan Arenado
Not only is Arenado three years older than Bregman, but it would require more movement to fit him into Boston’s plans. The Red Sox organization promised Rafael Devers, the unwilling “face of the franchise,” a few years at third base after he signed his 10-year extension in 2022. Arenado would need to play third and Masataka Yoshida would have to move to the outfield to shift Devers to designated hitter and keep Triston Casas’ bat in the lineup.
Boston’s manager Alex Cora, a former coach of Bregman’s, said he always envisioned the infielder as a second baseman, a position which the Sox have struggled to field consistently since Dustin Pedroia’s injury that eventually led to his retirement. Bregman could slot in at second base and the Red Sox wouldn’t have to rush Kristian Campbell to the big leagues after just two years in the minors.
With a potential trade of 10-time Gold Glover Nolan Arenado building momentum, the #STLCards bolstered their infield depth by trading for rookie third baseman/outfielder Michael Helman from the #Twins.https://t.co/QdFtdnqS7a
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) February 7, 2025
The Red Sox also have no business selling assets when they’ve spent no more than $21.05 million on any single free agent transaction this winter. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow mentioned that Boston was willing to “get uncomfortable” to improve the team ahead of the 2025 season, and CEO and president Sam Kennedy said they would go over the first luxury tax threshold to do it. After trading four top prospects in the Garrett Crochet trade, the Red Sox should save other top prospects to trade for better fits than Arenado, but they would surely (and swiftly) recoup all the money it would take to sign Bregman.
The longtime Astro’s willingness to play in Boston is a different story. He has declined multiple long-term deals from Houston and has had no interest in signing a short-term pact. The Red Sox don’t seem likely to budge from their shorter-term offers, but if they blew him away in terms of average annual value, maybe they could convince him to accept a shorter deal.
Again, neither Bregman nor Arenado is a great long-term fit for the Red Sox. They’re both on the so-called “wrong” side of 30 and take up valuable infield spots that could be given to top prospects or other free agents in the near future. But since Boston didn’t re-sign O’Neill and didn’t push for a similar free agent like Teoscar Hernández, it’s backed itself into a corner. The Red Sox need to win now after missing the playoffs in three straight seasons, and signing Bregman is their easiest path to improvement.
