The Red Sox appear to be playing the waiting game
Two-time World Series champion Alex Bregman is sitting and waiting on the free agent market.
The Boston Red Sox seem fine with that.
Bregman is ready to move on from the Houston Astros after spending all nine of his MLB seasons with the franchise. He’s looking to cash in big on free agency, with reports suggesting the 30-year-old third baseman is looking for a contract in the range of six years and $200 million.
The Red Sox have been linked to Bregman before the offseason even began — Alex Cora is a big advocate for Bregman — but that might not be a price they are willing to pay for a two-time All-Star who clearly is not in his prime anymore.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal provided an update Monday regarding where the Red Sox stand with Bregman and it appears they are content with playing the waiting game.
“I believe what’s happening is that the Red Sox are simply saying, ‘We don’t think he’s going to Toronto, we don’t think Detroit is going to sign him, so we’re gonna take our chances that no one else will (sign him), and we are going to leverage this and negotiate as hard as possible,’” Rosenthal said on “Foul Territory” as transcribed by 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Ty Anderson. “The problem is, they still might not get Bregman and we’re not exactly sure whether or not the front office wants to commit to Bregman.”
Cora seems ready to commit to Bregman, though. The two spent time together during Cora’s lone season as Houston’s bench coach.
Bregman’s reported willingness to move from third base to second could make him a better fit for the Red Sox with a franchise cornerstone in Rafael Devers already at third. And Cora understands what a difference Bregman could make for the Red Sox, even as the team’s second baseman.
“Alex was a Gold Glover at third base and we all know that,” Cora told NESN’s Tom Caron this past weekend at Fenway Fest. “In 2017, I had a conversation with him. He needed to play third because it was (Carlos) Correa and (Jose) Altuve. I always envisioned Alex as a Gold Glove second baseman. His size, the way he moves — it felt kind of like, ‘You will be a second baseman.’ But he has played third base at a high level, so we’ll see where he ends up and we’ll see where he ends up playing.”
