Red Sox manager Alex Cora with high praise for free agent Alex Bregman
Once the Red Sox knew that they were out on Juan Soto, they quickly turned their attention to free agent third baseman Alex Bregman.
The interest between Bregman and the Red Sox is genuine and would check off a need offensively for Boston. With Tyler O’Neill leaving for the Orioles in free agency, the club has a need for a right-handed hitter with power.
While speaking to the media on the first day of the Winter Meetings, Red Sox manager Alex Cora showed his appreciation for the two-time All-Star and World Series champion.
“Alex is a good player, man,” said Cora. “He’s a complete player. He’s a player that has been on winning teams his whole career. Good defender. Offensively, he’s really good. He’s a guy that a lot of people are talking about. And I do believe he can impact a big-league team, a championship-caliber team. He’s that type of player.”
Bregman has spent his entire career with the Astros and has slashed .272/.366/.483 with an .848 OPS and 191 homers over his nine-year career. The Astros are attempting to keep Bregman in Houston, reportedly offering him a six-year, $156 million deal. There’s speculation that if the Red Sox want Bregman, they will need to give him a seven-year pact. According to the Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams, the idea of giving Bregman a seventh year gives some within the organization “some pause.”
If Bregman signs with the Red Sox, he won’t play third base. The club is looking at him as a second baseman, at least for now. Cora believes Bregman’s glove will play up the middle.
“We actually had that conversation in ‘17 when,” said Cora. “We made some adjustments at third base, kind of like where he was playing; he was feeling uncomfortable. In the end, it paid off for him, right? He’s a Gold Glove defender at third, but I always envisioned him playing in the middle of the diamond, and those were conversations in ‘17. He can adjust, and he has the IQ to do that.”
There’s been speculation that the Red Sox will move Rafael Devers off third base and move him to first base. That would only make sense if they traded Triston Casas for pitching help. Cora did dismiss the claims that the Red Sox are actively looking to move the third baseman across the diamond.
“I don’t know where that comes from,” said Cora. “I haven’t talked to Raffy about that. I have never talked to his agent about that. Obviously people talk about his defense. Actually, I thought last year he did an outstanding job, especially to his left.
“He signed [his contract] with us as a third baseman, and he wants to be a third baseman. Right now, he’s the third baseman for the Boston Red Sox.”
Besides Bregman’s bat and glove defense, he also brings leadership and is someone who has a track record of winning championships. With the Red Sox roster and core so young, the club can lean on Trevor Story and Bregman to provide leadership on and off the field.
“I think leadership means something in the clubhouse,” said Cora. “We’ve seen it before. If you look at the two teams that were successful since I’ve been here, there were some voices in that clubhouse. And they were loud and very clear.”
