The Boston Red Sox headed into MLB games today with a 74-74 record and eliminated from contention in the ultra-competitive American League East. Alex Cora’s squad is also 4.5 games out of the final wild card spot.
It sure looks like playoff baseball won’t be in the cards in Boston for a third consecutive season. The backdrop here is obvious. Red Sox fans are not happy about the ownership and their unwillingness to add big-name players via either free agency or the trade block.
Could that potentially change this summer with the Sox having fallen far behind both the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles in the AL East?
One MLB insider is suggesting just that.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic just penned a long-form article on the ‘Sox and their potential plans for the offseason. Within the piece, he suggested that impending free agent third baseman Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros could be a target. The reasoning was interesting.
“Picture Alex Bregman playing third base for the Boston Red Sox next season. Wait, what about Rafael Devers? Move him to first,” Rosenthal noted. “What about Triston Casas? Trade him for a starting pitcher of comparable ability and service, maybe one from the Seattle Mariners.”
Bregman, 30, was actually originally selected by Boston in the 29th round of the 2012 MLB Draft out of high school. He opted to play college ball at LSU and found himself as the No. 2 overall pick of the Astros in 2015. He’s set to become one of the top MLB free agents this winter.
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Why Alex Bregman makes sense for the Boston Red Sox
Boston certainly needs more pop in the lineup. Tyler O’Neill leads the team with 30 homers this season. Rafael Devers comes in second with 28. Thus far, only three Red Sox players have more than 15 homers on the campaign.
Bregman would change this big time. The two-time All-Star has hit 20-plus homers in each of the past three seasons. His career high came back in 2019 with 41 blasts.
As Rosenthal noted, Boston could move Devers to first base while attempting to trade former first-round pick Triston Casas for starting pitching help. It almost makes too much sense.