It’s the most exciting time of the offseason: free-agency arbitration agreement time! Tomorrow is the deadline for clubs and players eligible for arbitration to agree to new contract terms or duke it out in front of an arbitration panel. The Sox have five eligible players: Triston Casas, Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck, Romy Gonzalez, and Johan Oviedo. Crawford and the club agreed to a one-year deal worth $2.75 million, the same amount he made last year. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)
As for free agency, a few days ago ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that the Sox had made an “aggressive” offer to Alex Bregman. We still don’t really know what “aggressive” means in this context (maybe the email subject line was just super rude or something?) but we now have some additional reporting to back up the claim. (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)
As for the Red Sox’ main competition for Bregman, we’re still hearing the same names: the Cubs, Blue Jays, and Diamondbacks. But while there is confirmation that both the Sox and Cubs are actively talking to Bregman (and Bo Bichette) the Blue Jays are apparently more focused on Kyle Tucker. (Ken Rosenthal, Will Sammon, The Athletic)
Bregman isn’t the only free agent from the 2025 team. Justin Wilson, who had a strong year out of the bullpen, is also unsigned. But it’s starting to sound like he’s ready to retire. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)
As for players who are signed for next year, 2026 could be a big season for Wilyer Abreu. With Rob Refsnyder officially out the door and headed to Seattle, Abreu could finally become an everyday player. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
Triston Casas, on the other hand, will now have a tougher time getting into the lineup with Willson Contreras on board. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)
