The Boston Red Sox may have passed on aggressively pursuing Pete Alonso, but then again, they’re offseason priority has always been Alex Bregman.
With Alonso now off the board, most fans and analysts agree that it’s probably no longer a matter of “if”, but a matter of “when” the Red Sox finalize a deal with Bregman, a two-time World Series champ.
On Friday, Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report predicted that Bregman will indeed return to Boston, and Kelly put a contract figure out into the world, too: five years and $135 million.
“The market has played out in a way where (Bregman) returning to the Red Sox might be more likely than it appeared at the outset of the offseason,” Kelly wrote.
“It can be argued whether (Kyle) Schwarber or Alonso would have been a better fit for the Red Sox given their power production, but both signed elsewhere. In what projects right now to be a very left-handed lineup, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow might be best off circling back to the right-handed hitting Bregman.”
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“Another thing to consider is Bregman was ineligible for the qualifying offer after receiving one last winter,” Kelly added. “So if Bregman leaves, Boston won’t get anything in return. That’s another reason to retain the three-time All-Star.”
Bregman, 31, has played in 10 MLB seasons. He hit .273/ .360/ .462/ .821 last year with 18 home runs, 62 RBI, 51 walks, and 3.5 WAR. Bregman missed six weeks due to a quad strain and appeared in 114 out of a possible 162 games in his first Red Sox season.
That being said, Bregman’s shown really solid durability throughout his career, appearing in 131.4 games per season if you don’t include the shortened 2020 season (Bregman appeared in 42 of 60 games that year for the Houston Astros).
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Much has been made of Bregman’s righty bat being a splendid fit at Fenway Park, but his glove is also elite. He didn’t have an outstanding defensive season in 2025, but he was a Gold Glove winner in 2024 with Houston.
Bregman’s talent level is Hall of Fame-type stuff, even if he’s still working on his resumé with many years left to do so. At the peak of his powers in Houston, Bregman finished No. 5 and No. 2 in American League MVP voting in back-to-back seasons (2018-19).
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Last season, Bregman was an invaluable element of Boston’s clubhouse, mentoring the Red Sox’s young studs like Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer, all while continuing to produce on the diamond himself.
