Boston Red Sox fans are notoriously tough to please, and some are simply never happy. They can be harsh and quick to criticize, holding their team to impossibly high standards. No matter what their players do, it’s never enough.
That applies to Alex Bregman, who had a great season for the Red Sox last year. He was an All-Star, a Silver Slugger finalist and led Boston to the playoffs, providing elite offense and defense at third base along with endless coaching tips and advice for his younger teammates.
However, some Boston fans don’t want to see the team re-sign him this offseason, believing he’s too expensive for a player who turns 32 next year and is coming off an injury-shortened season where his performance tailed off in the second half.
NESN analyst and former Red Sox player Lou Merloni recently addressed those concerns on NESN’s “Boston Has Entered The Chat” podcast, defending Bregman from the critics.
“I’ve said all year long I have great respect for Alex Bregman and I was expecting big things for him,” Merloni said. “He went well beyond what I thought he could bring to a baseball team in terms of leadership.”
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Merloni also explained why he wants Boston to bring Bregman back, believing a young team like the Red Sox needs more veteran leaders.
“I’m a firm believer that this team needs more grown-ups. They need more veterans,” Merloni said. “Young lineups, I don’t think, go very far. I think you need the veterans…you need leaders on a team when you have a very young, talented group.”
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Boston has already acquired a veteran arm to help the rotation this offseason in Sonny Gray. Now, the team could still use a similar presence in the lineup, either by bringing back Bregman and/or signing a proven bat like Pete Alonso or Kyle Schwarber.
If the Red Sox do that, maybe some of their fans will finally be happy.
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