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Alex Bregman

Cubs Sign Alex Bregman

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The Cubs have made their third-largest signing in franchise history official, announcing Wednesday that they’ve signed third baseman Alex Bregman to a five-year contract that’ll reportedly guarantee him $175MM. Bregman, a client of the Boras Corporation, receives a full no-trade clause. Unlike his prior contract with the Red Sox, there are no opt-out opportunities. The deal reportedly includes $70MM of deferred money, dropping the net present value from a $35MM average annual value to something in the $30-31MM range. A full breakdown of the deferrals can be found at the bottom of this post. He’ll be introduced in a press conference tomorrow morning at 10:30am CT.

When last offseason’s proposals fell short of Bregman’s expectations, he pivoted to a heavily-deferred three-year, $120MM deal with the Red Sox. The quality of his 2025 season, plus his ineligibility for a qualifying offer this time around, led to this long-term deal.

MLBTR projected a six-year, $160MM contract for Bregman back in November. He ultimately landed a bit shy of that on a five-year term, when accounting for deferrals. It’s still the largest average annual value in Cubs franchise history, and the total guarantee trails only Jason Heyward ($184MM) and Dansby Swanson ($177MM). The inclusion of deferrals is a notable departure for the Ricketts family ownership group; just last offseason, they appeared staunchly against utilizing deferred money in free agent negotiations.

For the Cubs, the addition of Bregman is the biggest splash in an active offseason. The club acquired young starter Edward Cabrera from the Marlins three days ago, adding upside to the rotation at the expense of a top-50 prospect in Owen Caissie. The Cubs have largely rebuilt their bullpen with a quintet of free agent signings: Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, Caleb Thielbar, Hoby Milner, and Jacob Webb.  They also retained swingman Colin Rea and starter Shota Imanaga.

Bregman gives the Cubs a major offensive upgrade without the loss of a draft pick, as he rejected a qualifying offer from the Astros in 2024. His salary brings the team’s projected 2026 payroll to $231MM, a full $25MM over last year’s $206MM figure, according to RosterResource. Meanwhile, their CBT payroll stands around $243MM for 2026, putting the Cubs just shy of the first luxury tax threshold.  The Cubs did not exceed the CBT in 2025, so they’ll reside in the lightest tax bracket if they go over in ’26.

Bregman, 31, played in 114 games with Boston this year, making 495 plate appearances. Although he missed a month and a half with a right quad strain, he continued to excel on offense, batting .273/.360/.462 and grading out 25% better than average by wRC+. After posting a career-low 6.9% walk rate in his final year with the Astros, Bregman bumped that up to 10.3% in 2025. He maintained his reputation as a high-contact hitter, with his 14.1% strikeout rate grading out in the 88th percentile. His 90.1 mph average exit velocity and 44.4% hard-hit rate were both career bests. He also continued to perform well defensively, earning 3 Outs Above Average for his work at third base. Overall, Bregman’s 2025 contributions were good for 3.5 fWAR and his third career All-Star nomination.

A lot of that came from his red-hot first two months. At the time of his injury, Bregman had a 156 wRC+ through 226 PA. His production following his return was more uneven. He posted a 128 wRC+ in July, followed by a 108 wRC+ in August and just a 76 wRC+ in September. In the first half, Bregman was 52% better than average by wRC+. In the second half, he was right around average.

Though he wasn’t his usual self in the last two months of the year, Bregman’s lengthy track record still made him one of the top free agents in this year’s class. Since debuting with the Astros in 2016, he has batted .272/.365/.481 with 209 home runs and a 133 wRC+. His first two All-Star appearances came in 2018-19. Bregman averaged 8.1 fWAR and finished in the Top 5 in AL MVP voting in both years, finishing as the runner-up in 2019.

While he hasn’t reached those heights in the years since, Bregman has still been a well-above-average hitter. He has posted a wRC+ between 117 and 137 in every year from 2020-25. Bregman’s defense has also held firm. Since the start of 2020, he has been worth 10 DRS and 17 OAA. He ranks eighth among qualified third basemen in that span by OAA.

That track record, Bregman’s excellent clubhouse reputation, and his still-excellent 2025 drew ample interest in free agency. The Red Sox were clearly keen on a reunion, with recent reports indicating they had made him an “aggressive” offer. Outside of them and the Cubs, his known suitors included the Tigers, Diamondbacks, and Blue Jays (before they signed Kazuma Okamoto). The Tigers and Cubs were interested in Bregman last offseason as well. Detroit reportedly offered him six years and $171.5MM, albeit with significant deferrals. Chicago’s offer was in the four-year, $115MM range. One year later, the Cubs put forth more than $40MM more to lock him up, even when considering the surprising deferred money.

Bregman likely sought a $200MM guarantee during the 2024-25 offseason. He got to $215MM on paper in total, though deferred money on both contracts probably puts him a little short of a true $200MM.  Regardless, returning to the market after opting out of a short-term deal is a strategy we’ve seen Boras execute successfully with Bregman, Carlos Rodon, Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, and Pete Alonso in recent years, with Cody Bellinger serving as the next test case.

With Bregman slotting in at third base, the most impacted player on the Cubs’ roster is incumbent third baseman Matt Shaw. As a rookie, Shaw posted a .226/.295/.394 line in 437 plate appearances, good for a 93 wRC+. Factoring in his serviceable defense (-1 DRS), Shaw was worth 1.5 fWAR in 2025. That was acceptable production for the rookie and former top prospect, though there are clear areas for improvement heading into his sophomore season. Shaw’s average exit velocity and hard-hit rate ranked in the third and seventh percentiles, respectively. He also struggled against fastballs, with a -6 run value against sinkers and a -1 value against four-seamers.

Shaw came up through the system as a middle infielder before shifting to third base in earnest in 2024. At present, Swanson and Nico Hoerner occupy the shortstop and second base spots on the big-league roster. Swanson is under contract through 2029 and won’t be moving off short any time soon. Hoerner has been an above-average hitter and excellent defender in the past four seasons, tallying 17.5 fWAR. Hoerner moved to second base in 2023 in deference to Swanson.

With the 28-year-old Hoerner eligible for free agency after 2026 – with earning power likely to get a boost from his ability to play shortstop – his name has surfaced in trade rumors this winter. The best 2026 Cubs team has Hoerner at second base and Shaw in a utility infield role, but it’s at least conceivable that either player could be dealt this offseason.

For Red Sox fans, the past seven months have provided a painful sequence of events at third base.  Rafael Devers was dealt to the Giants in a surprise June blockbuster, and now Bregman has departed as well. According to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox “did not come close financially and were not willing to give Bregman a full no-trade clause.”

The Red Sox, the only team yet to have signed a Major League free agent this winter, could turn to Bo Bichette to play second base.  Bichette will likely require a long-term deal of his own, however, and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has yet to sign a free agent for more than Bregman’s three years (which only lasted one).

Jon Heyman of the New York Post first broke news of the signing, with ESPN’s Jeff Passan adding terms and Bob Nightengale of USA Today providing further details. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the deal includes deferred money.

The full details of the deferrals were reported by Jay Cohen of The Associated Press. $15MM is deferred in 2026 and 2029, $10MM in 2027 and 2028, then $20MM in 2030. He will be paid the deferred money via eight annual instalment each July 31st from 2034 to 2041.

MLBTR Podcast: The Cubs Land Cabrera And Bregman, Remaining Free Agents, And Skubal’s Arbitration Filing

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images

Details Of Red Sox’ Pursuit Of Alex Bregman

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2:19pm: Cotillo reports that Boston’s offer to Bregman was for five years and $165MM with significant deferrals.

2:09pm: Alex Bregman is headed to Chicago after landing with the Cubs on a five-year, $175MM contract that was first reported last night. That’s a crushing blow for the Red Sox, who were long reported to be prioritizing a reunion with Bregman after he opted out of the final two years and $80MM on his contract with the club back in November. In the aftermath of Bregman’s departure, reports out of Boston are shedding some light on the efforts the Red Sox made to retain their All-Star, and where that offer ultimately fell short.

According to a report from The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham last night, the Red Sox “did not come close financially and were not willing to give Bregman a full no-trade clause, which the Cubs did.” Today, reporting from Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam of MassLive confirmed that the Red Sox were unwilling to offer Bregman a no-trade clause and added that the team cited “organizational policy” regarding no-trade protection in doing so. That, McAdam writes, “proved to be a sticking point” for Bregman, who has young children and values stability for them as he heads into his third consecutive year in a new city.

As for the financials, McAdam writes that the five-year offer from Boston was “reasonably competitive,” but added that it fell short of Chicago’s offer financially. Like the Cubs’ offer, which includes $70MM in deferred money, the Red Sox offer also included significant deferrals. Those deferred payments were scheduled out differently, however, as McAdam notes that the Red Sox proposed a payment plan “stretching out decades.” The exact payment details of Chicago’s offer aren’t yet known, McAdam notes that the decades-long payment structure Boston offered widened the gap between the two offers and reduced the value of the Red Sox’ offer further than the already-lower sticker price, relative to the Cubs’ offer.

Exactly how the two offers stack up will be easier to judge once more details come out about Bregman’s contract details in Chicago, but in any case it seems the offer that the Red Sox reportedly considered “aggressive” came up well short of what Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and his front office managed to put together. As a result, the Red Sox will have to turn elsewhere in their search for another middle-of-the-order bat for their infield. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale was among the reports to suggest in the aftermath of Bregman’s signing that the other top infielder on the market, shortstop Bo Bichette, could be the player they pivot to. Bichette figures to sign for even more than Bregman, did, however; MLBTR predicted an eight-year, $208MM contract for the infielder at the outset of the offseason.

Some of that, of course, has to do with the contract length. Perhaps an eight-year deal for Bichette, which would run through his age-35 season, would be just as or even more appealing to the Red Sox than signing Bregman through his age-36 season on a five year deal. On the other hand, it’s worth noting that this Red Sox front office has not yet given out a contract longer than three years via free agency. If the team has an aversion to long-term deals more generally, it would be difficult for the Red Sox to outbid rival suitors for Bichette like the Phillies and Yankees that have no qualms about signing free agents to lengthy contracts.

If the Red Sox aren’t willing to splurge on Bichette, the pickings for replacement Bregman become a lot slimmer. Eugenio Suarez offers big power and could be a fit on a shorter-term deal in free agency, but he struggled in the second half last year, will play this year at 34 years old, and is a lackluster defender at the hot corner. Turning to the trade market, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reportedly shortly before the new year that the Red Sox had narrowed their focus to five infield options: Bregman, Bichette, Ketel Marte, Isaac Paredes, and Brendan Donovan. With Bregman now in Chicago and Marte having been officially taken off the market by Arizona, that leaves Paredes and Donovan as the two primary alternatives to Bichette in that report.

Of the two, Paredes seems to be the better fit. Both are controlled for two seasons after this one, but Paredes is a right-handed hitter who seems likely to cost less in trade than Donovan. While Paredes has been pushed out of the Astros’ nominal starting lineup by the addition of Carlos Correa over the summer, Donovan’s market is known to have many suitors including the Giants, Mariners, and Royals. What’s more, Paredes is a right-handed hitter who primarily plays third base, making him a much cleaner replacement for Bregman than Donovan, a lefty hitter who has played all over the field but primarily plays second base. Paredes is also a marginally better hitter over the last four seasons (124 wRC+ vs 119) coming off a stronger platform season (128 wRC+ vs 119). Paredes (hamstring injury) and Donovan (sports hernia surgery) both ended their seasons with injury complications but are expected to be full-go for Spring Training next month.

Of course, it’s possible the club could look at other options now that their preferred targets have begun to dwindle. The Cubs, themselves, now have a surplus of infield talent after bringing in Bregman displaced Matt Shaw at third base. Adding another unproven youngster to a very young Red Sox roster likely wouldn’t be especially appealing, but Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner has garnered trade interest this winter and could be more available now that Bregman has freed up Shaw to take over the keystone following a hypothetical Hoerner trade. An elite defender at second base who has also posted strong grades at shortstop in the past, Hoerner is a well-regarded clubhouse presence who could help fill the leadership void created by the loss of Bregman.

With that said, his 109 wRC+ last year was a career-high, and his lack of power is unlikely to be especially attractive to a team like the Red Sox that finished middle-of-the-pack in homers last year and expressed an interest in bringing in a big-time slugger like Kyle Schwarber or Pete Alonso earlier this winter in hopes of improving that area of the offense. It’s also an open question as to whether the Cubs would even be especially inclined to deal Hoerner, as an infield of Bregman, Hoerner, Dansby Swanson and Michael Busch would be among the strongest in baseball headed into 2026. What’s more, Hoerner is slated to hit free agency following the 2026 campaign and the Red Sox may prefer to add a player under longer-term control for fear of finding themselves in this same predicament again next year.

Red Sox Notes: Bregman, Outfield, Injuries

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Fenway Fest is in full swing. The fan event has yielded plenty of interesting tidbits through interviews with various players and executives. Here’s a rundown of some of the highlights, including a show of support for Alex Bregman from a former teammate and impressive candor from an infielder with an uncertain future.

A Bregman update, of course

Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow can’t seem to go a day without answering questions about the free agent third baseman. “We’re going to do everything we possibly can to add more offense,” Breslow told reporters, including Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald. “We saw the impact Alex (Bregman) had last year, on the field, in the clubhouse, in the community, someone that fits our team really well. He’s still out there, which means we have a chance.”

ESPN’s Buster Olney reported last weekend that the club has made an “aggressive” offer to Bregman. The Diamondbacks, Cubs, and Tigers have also been connected to the 31-year-old free agent. Bregman opted out of the three-year, $120MM contract he signed with the Red Sox last offseason in pursuit of a more lucrative deal. “The ball is in his court,” manager Alex Cora told reporters, including Chris Cotillo of MassLive.

It’s not just the front office looking to reunite with Bregman. Outfielder Roman Anthony expressed support, highlighting the work Bregman did with the young players. “I would love to have him back,” Anthony told reporters, including Starr. “He was … a huge part of my success. And a lot of the young guys, and not only the young guys, but many of the guys in the clubhouse … we’re all on the same page as to where we stand with him and what we hope happens.” Anthony specifically cited Bregman’s insights into preparation and offensive approach as beneficial to him in his rookie season.

Injuries limited Bregman to 114 games in his lone season in Boston, but he was quite productive when available. He slashed .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs across 495 plate appearances. Bregman delivered his typical strong work with the glove at the hot corner. He earned his third All-Star selection.

Outfield trade sounds doubtful

Boston seemingly has four outfielders for three spots heading into the season. Anthony, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, and Ceddanne Rafaela have all shown enough to earn everyday roles. One of them could slot in at DH, but that would limit the playing time for Masataka Yoshida and Triston Casas. Despite the apparent glut at the position, along with rumors that Duran was drawing interest, Breslow shot down the notion that a trade was on the table.

“It was never likely in my mind,” Breslow told reporters, including Cotillo. “We’ve got really talented outfielders. When teams call, that’s what other executives point to. They’re young, they’re controllable, they’re dynamic, they’re talented, and can impact games in multiple ways. It’s really nice to be able to say they’re also members of the Boston Red Sox.”

Cora also provided additional context on the outfield plan, telling reporters he preferred Rafaela in center field and Abreu in right field, even against left-handed pitching. Breslow has previously expressed a desire to keep Rafaela in center field. He’s spent time at second base and shortstop over the past two seasons. Rafaela is a tremendous outfielder, earning Gold Glove honors for his efforts in center field this past season. Abreu also secured a Gold Glove in 2025, his second time receiving the award. He’ll likely be in the field when he plays. It’s the same-handed pitching remark that is interesting. The lefty-swinging Abreu had just 68 plate appearances against southpaws last season. He’s hit just .205 vs. lefties in his career.

If Cora gets his wish, with both Rafaela and Abreu regularly manning the outfield, Anthony and Duran would handle left field and DH. It’s hard to imagine former top prospect Anthony losing much playing time outside of the occasional rest day. Duran is coming off a modest 2025, but he was one of the top offensive forces in the league in 2024. It’ll be a lot for Cora to juggle next season without a roster move.

Injury updates

Casas is coming back from a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee. He told reporters, including Christopher Smith of MassLive, that he’s uncertain if he’ll be ready for the start of the 2026 campaign. “As of right now, not too sure. Not trying to get ahead of myself, but I do see myself progressing well enough to maybe get into some spring training games. We’ll see how that goes because that’s a benchmark as well.”

Boston traded for Willson Contreras to handle first base, which leaves Casas’ role in question once he gets healthy. The aforementioned logjam in the outfield doesn’t help matters. Casas seems to be taking the Contreras addition in stride, though. “He’s a better player than me and has been for his entire career. To upgrade at a position that has been deficient for the last two years is exactly what the team needed.” (relayed by Cotillo)

A few more quick-hitters in the health department…

  • Marcelo Mayer expects to be fully ready for Spring Training. His 2025 season was cut short by a wrist injury in August. “I’m pretty much doing full baseball activity, like a normal ramp-up, as I would for a regular season going into spring training,” Mayer said.
  • Anthony is also expected to be good to go for the spring. An oblique injury cost him most of September and all of the postseason. The team believed he might have been able to return for the ALCS, but they were knocked out in the ALDS.
  • Kutter Crawford is on track to return to action for the first time since 2024. He missed all of last season with knee and wrist issues. “At this point, it’s just normal progression,” Crawford said. “I got off the slope yesterday, and it felt good. And now we just build up the mound progression.”
  • Carlos Narvaez had knee surgery at the start of the offseason, but told reporters (including Smith) he would be a full go come springtime.

Photo courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images

Bregman Rumors: Red Sox, D-Backs, Tigers, Cubs

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Alex Bregman’s market appears more muddled after the Blue Jays signed NPB third baseman Kazuma Okamoto. Toronto had been tied to the three-time All-Star but no longer seems to have room for an infielder (barring a reunion with Bo Bichette).

The Red Sox, Diamondbacks, Cubs and Tigers have been the remaining most frequently speculated landing spots. ESPN’s Buster Olney suggested last week that Boston has an offer on the table. In a column at ESPN this morning, Olney floated the possibility that the Red Sox might be willing to do something similar to the six-year, $171.5MM offer which the Tigers reportedly made to Bregman last winter. There’s no firm reporting about what the Red Sox have put on the table, to be clear, so the notion that the Red Sox could go long term seems mostly to be informed speculation on Olney’s part.

Boston landed Bregman on a three-year deal with opt-outs last winter. They juiced the average annual value to $40MM, albeit with significant deferrals that dropped the actual value closer to $30MM annually. Bregman is no longer attached to a qualifying offer and coming off a better season on a rate basis than he had in 2024. He’s also entering his age-32 season, so he may be more incentivized to secure the longest deal and maximum guarantee. The upside of taking short-term deals with opt-outs decreases as a player approaches his mid-30s.

ESPN’s Jesse Rogers and Mark Feinsand of MLB.com each wrote on Tuesday that many within the industry considered Arizona and Toronto the top threats to a Boston reunion before the Jays added Okamoto. That’d naturally point to the Diamondbacks as the strongest challengers now, yet most chatter on the Bregman/Arizona tie has been connected to a potential Ketel Marte trade. With D-Backs general manager Mike Hazen implying they could soon pull Marte from the market entirely, that could have a trickle-down impact on Bregman.

Arizona could certainly fit Marte and Bregman on the roster. The latter would step in as the everyday third baseman. The bigger question is whether ownership would sign off on another nine-figure infield investment after extending Marte for $102.5MM last spring. The long-term payroll would be a bigger stumbling block than this year’s outlook. Marte agreed to defer $6MM of his $15MM salary in 2026, so trading him would only free up a fraction of the first-year salary that Bregman would command.

Meanwhile, two of last year’s finalists appear to be less involved this time around. Detroit has reportedly thus far shied away from making another long-term offer. Top shortstop prospect Kevin McGonigle is on the doorstep of the majors. Bregman would be a significant upgrade over the current third base grouping of Colt Keith, Zach McKinstry and potentially Javier Báez once McGonigle arrives.

Manager A.J. Hinch gave a vote of confidence to McKinstry in response to speculation about a third base acquisition. “I get asked about third base all the time. I’m like, ’Our guy made the All-Star team,'” Detroit’s skipper told Audacy’s 97.1 The Ticket (h/t to Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press).

McKinstry was indeed an All-Star behind an excellent first half, but he has been a career utility player and hit .213/.278/.378 after the Break. It’s hard to believe he’s truly standing in the way of the Tigers signing Bregman — though it’s understandable that Hinch would publicly defend his player. Detroit’s $165MM payroll projection is already more than $20MM above where they opened the 2025 season, which seems a bigger obstacle to a significant free agent move.

The Cubs proposed a four-year, $115MM deal last winter. They’ve been positioned on the periphery of the market this time around. Matt Shaw had an encouraging second half of his rookie season. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and GM Carter Hawkins spoke at the Winter Meetings about their confidence in the 24-year-old infielder. It doesn’t appear that much has changed in the past month on that end. Feinsand reports that while the Cubs continue to have some level of interest in Bregman, they’re not expected to make the highest offer.

Red Sox Have Made “Aggressive” Offer To Alex Bregman

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While the Red Sox have spent most of the offseason focused on the trade market to augment their roster, they now appear to be turning their attention towards free agency. ESPN’s Buster Olney reported in an appearance on an episode of the podcast “First Up with Korolnek and Colaiacovo” (audio link courtesy of Foul Territory’s Robbie Hyde) that the Red Sox made an “aggressive” offer to Bregman before speculating that Bregman will ultimately return to Boston.

The market for position players has been fairly quiet since Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso signed during the Winter Meetings last month. While third baseman Kazuma Okamoto’s free agency wrapped up yesterday when he signed with the Blue Jays on a four-year deal, Bregman remains the top dog available at the position ahead of Eugenio Suarez, Ramon Urias, and Yoan Moncada. The best overall infield talent available this winter aside from Bo Bichette, Bregman lingered on the free agent market last offseason before signing a three-year, $120MM contract with Boston that included multiple opt outs and significant deferred money. That deal worked out quite well for both sides, as Bregman turned in a 125 wRC+ and 3.5 WAR in 118 games before returning to the open market this winter.

With that said, he’s once again struggled to find a market for the sort of long-term deal he’s been seeking. Boston has been known to have interest in a reunion, but there have been indications that the Red Sox are reluctant to go long-term on him (or any other free agent, for that matter). They’ve kicked the tires on plenty of alternative options this winter, ranging from trades for infield talents like Ketel Marte, Brendan Donovan, and Isaac Paredes to pivoting towards another player like Okamoto or Bichette in free agency. At this point, however, Okamoto is off the market and Marte appears unlikely to be dealt.

Perhaps the dwindling alternatives have led Boston to step up their pursuit of a Bregman reunion, though it should be noted that an “aggressive” offer does not necessarily mean a long-term one. It could certainly be argued that the $40MM average annual value (which dropped to just under $32MM after factoring in deferred money) deal Bregman signed with the Red Sox last year was an “aggressive” offer thanks to the high annual salary and player-friendly opt out structure, and that deal maxed out at just three seasons. So, too, could the Tigers’ best offer to Bregman from last winter be called aggressive, as the six-year, $171.5MM offer topped the winning bid by more than $50MM in terms of total guarantee and was the longest of the final offers Bregman received.

Regardless of what Boston’s offer to Bregman currently looks like, it seems as though market forces may be pushing the two sides back together. As previously mentioned, a few of the Red Sox’s potential alternatives to Bregman have started to come off the market or otherwise become less likely. Meanwhile, Bregman’s own alternatives to Boston could also be dwindling. Just as Okamoto signing in Toronto takes him off the table for the Red Sox, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports that the deal makes Bregman signing with the Jays less likely despite mutual interest between the sides prior to Okamoto’s signing. Likewise, there have been connections drawn between Bregman and the Diamondbacks, but that could become less viable for Arizona to pull off financially if a Marte trade is taken off the table.

Even if the Jays and Diamondbacks aren’t the likeliest suitors at this point, other options are still available. The Cubs remain involved in Bregman’s market at least to some extent, though they (like the Red Sox) seem hesitant to commit to long-term deals for most players. The Tigers have seemingly remained on the periphery of Bregman’s market but don’t seem to be an especially aggressive suitor. The Phillies were recently reported to have at least some interest in Bichette and could theoretically fit Bregman as well, though they haven’t been tied to Bregman directly and even the Bichette connection seems to run in contrast with previous reporting suggesting that their room to spend is somewhat limited at this point.

Latest On Tigers, Alex Bregman

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The Tigers made a strong push to sign Alex Bregman last offseason, offering the third baseman a six-year, $171.5MM deal (with some deferred money) that included an opt-out clause for Bregman following the 2026 season.  With Bregman back on the market this winter, the Tigers are again in the mix, but in more of a “lukewarm” fashion, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.

This more or less echoes Petzold’s last report on Bregman from earlier this month, and “the Tigers haven’t shown any new movement” in subsequent weeks, a source tells Petzold in his latest piece.  Since Detroit was apparently the only team to offer Bregman a contract longer than four years last year, Petzold suggests the Tigers may be trying to leverage this interest into seeing if they could possibly wait out the rest of Bregman’s market.

The Blue Jays, Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Red Sox are Bregman’s other known public suitors, and Petzold adds the detail that Chicago and Boston “haven’t shown a willingness to offer a long-term contract.”  This was the case last winter as well, as the Cubs reportedly offered Bregman a four-year deal (with multiple opt-outs) in the $115MM-$120MM range, and the third baseman ended up signing a three-year, $120MM deal with the Sox that allowed him to opt out after each of the first two seasons.

Bregman is entering his age-32 campaign, and he hit .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs over 495 plate appearances for Boston in 2025.  His season was marred by a quad strain that sidelined him for just under seven weeks, as well as a deep slump over the last five weeks of the season.  These flaws notwithstanding, Bregman’s hot start earned him his third career All-Star nod, and his veteran influence within the young Red Sox clubhouse was heavily praised.

It was an altogether solid year for Bregman, and an across-the-board improvement over his 2024 slash line.  However, it may not have been the type of standout campaign that inspires a team to make the type of five- or six-year offer it wasn’t willing to make last offseason, though Bregman isn’t tied to a qualifying offer this time around.

A few other factors complicate Bregman’s market.  Bo Bichette and Kazuma Okamoto are still free agents, and Okamoto’s posting window is up on January 4.  It could be that the teams in on Okamoto (including both the Red Sox and Blue Jays, as per reports) could be first waiting to see where he lands before moving on other infield targets.  Boston and Toronto have also each shown interest in free agent Bo Bichette and trade candidate Ketel Marte, and moving Marte’s contract might be Arizona’s first step towards freeing up enough payroll space to go after Bregman.

While Bichette is thought to be the Blue Jays’ priority and Bregman perhaps Boston’s preferred target, the two teams have been connected to so many infielders that the Tigers, Diamondbacks, and Cubs could stand out since it seems like Bregman is the only big-name infielder on their radar.  Chicago’s offseason has been dominated by multiple bullpen additions and reports linking the Cubs to multiple free agent starters, but there hasn’t been a ton of buzz about any major position-player adds to replace Kyle Tucker.  That said, the Cubs also met with Pete Alonso during the Winter Meetings, so it isn’t as if the team is closing itself off from a pursuit of a premium bat.

As Petzold notes, there is certainly a scenario where Bregman’s other suitors all either stand pat or make other acquisitions, leaving the Tigers as perhaps the only club still open to giving Bregman a longer-term deal.  Depending on how things play out, Bregman and agent Scott Boras could conceivably pivot to another shorter-term, higher average annual value type of contract with an opt-out or two.  Bregman didn’t sign with the Red Sox last winter until mid-February, which could be a sign that Bregman is happy waiting until he gets an acceptable offer, or he might prefer more stability this time rather than another protracted stay in free agency.

Since the Tigers have yet to sign a free agent to a deal longer than two years in the Scott Harris era, Motown fans would prefer that the club is a little more proactive or aggressive in finally landing a big target.  Being patient with Bregman naturally creates the risk that he’ll just sign elsewhere, leaving Detroit now having to play catchup if the team wants to make a significant lineup upgrade.  The Tigers are one of the teams to explore the idea of trading for Marte, so that might present some type of alternative if Marte is also still in Arizona when Bregman comes off the board.

Red Sox Continuing To Pursue Infield Help

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12:33pm: Speier’s report has subsequently been updated to highlight Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan as a fifth infielder the Red Sox are currently focused on.

Donovan, 29 next month, is among the most discussed trade candidates in baseball this winter. In addition to being a capable defender all over the infield and outfield, Donovan sports a career 119 wRC+ and has delivered 6.0 fWAR (5.3 bWAR) in just 271 games over the past two seasons. As a left-handed batter, Donovan wouldn’t be as effective in balancing a heavily left-handed Red Sox lineup as the right-handed Bregman, Bichette, and Paredes (or even the switch-hitting Marte), but he does come with two years of affordable team control.

Newly-minted Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom is certainly familiar with Boston’s farm system at this point, both due to trades involving Contreras and Sonny Gray from earlier this offseason and also due to his years spent as chief baseball officer for the Red Sox prior to Craig Breslow’s tenure at the helm. Notably, the competition for Donovan’s services figures to be steep. Seattle and San Francisco were previously reported as front-runners for the utility man’s services earlier this month, while the Royals, Guardians, Astros, and Pirates are among the other teams to have been connected to Donovan.

10:26am: The Red Sox have long been known to be looking for a right-handed bat to add to their infield mix, and they found one when they swung a trade with the Cardinals to acquire Willson Contreras. Contreras figures to settle into an everyday role with the club between first base and DH, but even with the veteran slugger in the fold Alex Speier of the Boston Globe notes that the Red Sox remain in the market for another big bat for their infield. Speier specifically highlights four potential targets for the Red Sox: free agents Alex Bregman and Bo Bichette, Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes, and Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte. While Speier acknowledges that alternatives to that group exist in both free agency and on the trade market, those four names appear to be the focus on Boston’s efforts at this point.

The specific names themselves aren’t exactly new information. Bregman, of course, was an impactful player for the Red Sox this past season after signing a three-year, opt-out laden deal with the club last offseason. After slashing .273/.360/.462 in 114 games and notching his third career All-Star appearance, Bregman opted out of the final two years of that deal to return to free agency. A reunion with Boston has long appeared to be the most obvious fit for Bregman, and the team’s interest in a reunion is well-established. With that said, the Red Sox are known to be hesitant about offering long-term deals in free agency; Bregman’s three-year pact with the Red Sox last year was the longest free agent contract Craig Breslow has doled out during his tenure as chief baseball officer. With Bregman known to be seeking a longer-term deal this winter, it’s unclear if the Red Sox would be willing to break with their established preference for shorter-term contracts in order to sign Bregman to a five- or six-year deal that would take him into his age-36 or -37 campaign.

As for Bichette, the Red Sox reportedly conducted a video meeting with him earlier this month. Bichette stands as the top infielder available in free agency this winter on the heels of a season where he slashed .311/.357/.483 for the Blue Jays in 139 games. Bichette isn’t quite as clean of a fit for the Red Sox as Bregman would be, in terms of position. A reunion with Bregman would allow Trevor Story and Marcelo Mayer to stay at their current positions up the middle, while Bichette is a shortstop who has shown a willingness to play second base but may not feel the same way about the hot corner. With that said, most of Mayer’s time in the majors last year actually came at third while Bregman was injured. Perhaps, then, Bichette could be a preferable addition to Bregman. While he would require a contract just as long as (or perhaps even longer than) Bregman, Bichette is four years younger than Bregman. As a result, even an eight-year deal for Bichette wouldn’t come with as many years of expected decline as a five-year deal for Bregman.

Turning to the trade market, Marte has rivaled Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan as the most popular name available on the market this winter. While the Diamondbacks have made clear that they aren’t actively shopping Marte and expect to keep their star second baseman, the three-time All-Star has slashed .288/.374/.539 over the past two seasons with a wRC+ of 149, 10.9 fWAR, and 11.2 bWAR across 262 games. That’s the sort of production that compels teams to check in on a player if there’s any chance they could be available, and the Red Sox are among the teams to do so this offseason. Marte would be on Boston’s books through the end of his age-37 campaign if acquired, though the $102.5MM guaranteed left on that deal is very affordable compared to the going rate for star players.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle to acquiring Marte would be the acquisition cost; while the Red Sox are known to be open to dealing from their controllable pitching depth, free agent deals for Merrill Kelly and Michael Soroka have helped to fill out the Diamondbacks’ rotation enough that the team might prefer to bring back some positional talent to help fill the void created by Marte’s departure. Trading an elite prospect talent like Mayer or Kristian Campbell would be a tough pill to swallow for the Red Sox, especially if paired with a controllable rotation arm like Connelly Early or Payton Tolle.

That could make another player on the trade market more attractive. While Paredes isn’t a star on the level of Marte, Bichette, or even Bregman, he would still bring impact to the Boston infield. The 26-year-old hit .254/.352/.458 (128 wRC+) in 102 games for the Astros last year and has slashed .239/.341/.442 (124 wRC+) since the start of the 2022 campaign. Paredes offers a consistent, bat-first profile at third base that should be attractive to the Red Sox, especially considering the slugger’s relative affordability. Paredes is slated to make his penultimate trip through arbitration this offseason, and with two years of affordable team control covering his age-27 and -28 seasons, the Red Sox need not commit to him long-term or be on the hook for any of the years following his prime.

As for his availability, Houston GM Dana Brown has publicly suggested the team has no desire to trade Paredes but he has still drawn interest from the Red Sox nonetheless. Notably, the presence of Carlos Correa and Christian Walker at the infield corners (to say nothing of Yordan Alvarez at DH) limits Paredes’s paths to playing time in Houston, which could make a trade more feasible. The Astros already brought in Mike Burrows to help fill out their rotation but could certainly still benefit from additional young pitching, which the Red Sox are more than capable of providing. Prior reports have indicated that Early and Tolle are both players the Astros are interested in, and moving one of those arms out as the centerpiece of a Paredes deal could make plenty of sense.

Blue Jays Interested In Alex Bregman

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Add the Blue Jays to the list of potential suitors for free agent Alex Bregman. Toronto officials have been in contact with Scott Boras, the third baseman’s agent, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The Red Sox, Cubs, and Diamondbacks have also been connected to Bregman.

Toronto has already been a major player in free agency this offseason, though the additions have come on the pitching side. The club snagged one of the top starters on the market in right-hander Dylan Cease. They locked down reliever Tyler Rogers on a three-year deal. In a year with several intriguing arms arriving from overseas, the Blue Jays landed one of the highest-upside options in Cody Ponce. Toronto has been tied to some of the biggest bats on the market, including Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger, and Bo Bichette. Bregman now joins that esteemed group.

Boston is reportedly pushing for a Bregman reunion. The third baseman opted out of a three-year, $120MM deal with the club after one season. He had a strong campaign with the Red Sox, providing middle-of-the-order thump to go with steady glove work. Chicago is back in the mix after coming up short last year. The Cubs reportedly offered Bregman a four-year deal this past offseason, though the total value fell short of his agreement with the Red Sox. The Diamondbacks recently joined the race for Bregman. Arizona seems like a long shot to land the stud free agent, but the club does have a vacancy after trading Eugenio Suárez at the deadline.

Toronto’s current plan at third base seems to be a combination of Addison Barger, Ernie Clement, and Davis Schneider. Clement will be penciled in at second base with Bichette hitting the market. Barger is the top option for third base duties, at least against righties. Schneider could pick up second base reps against lefties, with Clement sliding to third. Infielders JoJo Parker and Arjun Nimmala are among Toronto’s top prospects, though they’re unlikely to contribute at the big-league level for a few more years.

The Blue Jays’ third basemen ranked 10th in OPS last season. Clement and Barger split the role fairly evenly, with Will Wagner and Isiah Kiner-Falefa occasionally mixing in. Barger emerged as a crucial cog in the middle of the lineup, launching 21 home runs in his first extended stint at the highest level. Clement bounced around the infield, seeing time at all four spots. He played in a career-high 157 games, providing league-average numbers at the plate. Clement also set a postseason record with 30 hits. Third base isn’t a position that seems like a glaring weakness, but a longer-term view of the roster makes Bregman a more sensible fit. George Springer and Daulton Varsho are both free agents after 2026. Their potential departures would open up outfield and DH opportunities for Barger, Schneider, and company.

While Clement and Barger are solid players, Toronto would have no issue reshuffling the lineup to make room for an addition like Bregman. The 31-year-old has a career 133 wRC+. After three straight seasons with at least 23 home runs, Bregman hit 18 in 114 games in his lone season in Boston. A quad strain cost him a month and a half, but he was on track to maintain his standard power numbers. Bregman was worth +3 Outs Above Average this past year. He’s now at +18 over the last five seasons.

The additions of Cease and Rogers, among others, pushed Toronto’s estimated payroll to roughly $272MM, per RosterResource. That’s already $14MM above the club’s 2025 mark. It’s well beyond the Blue Jays’ $217MM payroll from 2024. It’s a new level of spending for a squad that fell just short of bringing home a title this past year.

Photo courtesy of Brad Penner, Imagn Images

Diamondbacks Showing Interest In Alex Bregman

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The D-Backs are among the teams that have expressed interest in Alex Bregman, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today was among those to report. Arizona seems to be a long shot to spend at this level but has a vacancy at third base.

Bregman is known to be a priority for the Red Sox. He opted out of his three-year deal with Boston after hitting .273/.360/.462 over 495 plate appearances. He made his third All-Star team despite suffering a quad strain that sidelined him between late May and the middle of July. That’s a testament to the strength of his first half. Bregman slashed .298/.380/.546 with 11 home runs over 53 games before the Break. His numbers dropped in the second half, as he hit .250/.341/.386 in his final 261 trips to the plate.

While Bregman’s power dropped late in the season, he showed his typically excellent plate discipline. He walked more often than he struck out even in his less impressive final few months. Bregman narrowly established a career mark with a 44.4% hard contact rate and remained the above-average hitter he was throughout his time in Houston. He’s no longer an MVP contender as he was at his 2018-19 peak, but Bregman is an annual threat for 25 homers with a .360 on-base percentage. He remains an above-average defensive third baseman and is revered for his clubhouse presence.

The D-Backs don’t have a clear answer at the hot corner. They traded Eugenio Suárez at the deadline. That theoretically opened the position for top prospect Jordan Lawlar, but his performance down the stretch was concerning. Lawlar hit .182 without a home run in 74 plate appearances. He also committed four errors (three on bad throws) over 76 innings. The D-Backs didn’t trust him defensively and limited him to mostly DH work in September until they’d been eliminated from playoff contention.

Lawlar came up as a shortstop but isn’t going to play there on a team with Geraldo Perdomo. He doesn’t have a path to second base playing time right now, though the D-Backs have fielded plenty of calls on Ketel Marte. They could give Lawlar a look in the outfield or dangle him as a trade chip for a young starter. For now, the likeliest course of action is to keep him at third base and hope that they can iron out his throwing woes in Spring Training.

It’d be very surprising to see Bregman wind up in the desert. The D-Backs are prioritizing the rotation even after agreeing to bring back Merrill Kelly on a two-year contract. Owner Ken Kendrick has already said payroll will come down from the approximate $195MM mark at which they opened the ’25 season.

RosterResource projects them for a $171MM payroll next season, so they’d either need to make an exception for Bregman or offload money in a trade. (They’d save $15MM in 2026 if they trade Marte for players making the league minimum.) The Diamondbacks are only one offseason removed from pulling off a free agent shocker, as almost no one saw them signing Corbin Burnes — who, like Bregman, is a client of the Boras Corporation — to a $210MM contract before it happened.

Burnes, who lives in Arizona, signed with the Diamondbacks largely because of family considerations. Bregman is a New Mexico native who grew up as a Diamondbacks fan, notes Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. As Piecoro points out, the D-Backs (under the previous front office) had an opportunity to draft Bregman with the first pick in 2015. They went with Dansby Swanson instead, allowing the Astros to grab Bregman at #2 overall.

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