The Boston Red Sox haven’t made the playoffs since 2021, which is an eternity to die-hards in Beantown who expect greatness from their sports teams on an annual basis.
The postseason drought represents the franchise’s longest streak in over a decade, as the last time they missed the tournament three years in a row was 2010-12. The Red Sox responded by turning the tragedy of the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing into a fall triumph, capturing that year’s World Series.
Now, manager Alex Cora and company have made multiple moves this winter to improve the roster on paper and possibly make a push for a playoff berth in 2025.
In a piece published on Monday for The Athletic, insider and former MLB General Manager Jim Bowden opined that longtime Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman will eventually land with the Red Sox this offseason. Not only that, but Bowden adds that the two-time All-Star “could be the final piece” in getting Boston back to the playoffs.
Insider Expects Red Sox to Add Bregman, All-Star Reliever to Wrap Busy Offseason
The Red Sox have added the likes of starting pitchers Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler and Patrick Sandoval, and Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson to the bullpen.
Bowden is predicting that the team will add at least one more reliever in Tanner Scott, who he ranked sixth on his list of top 15 remaining free agents. Scott was a first-time All-Star during the 2024 campaign, which he split between the Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres.
“The most-impactful closer on the market has yet to sign and teams are lining up for him but waiting for the asking price to drop. The Red Sox are the clear front-runners for Scott,” Bowden wrote. “Their chief baseball officer, Craig Breslow, was a left-handed reliever in his playing days and seems obsessed with corralling lefty pitchers. … Red Sox manager Alex Cora prefers a single closer and Scott is the best one available.”
The big-ticket item is Bregman, however. He’s been connected to the Red Sox for much of the offseason.
The 2015 second overall draft pick was originally selected by Boston in the 29th round in 2012 before deciding to attend LSU. After being taken by Houston three years later, he made his big-league debut in July 2016 and has since turned into one of the best third basemen in baseball.
Bregman was an All-Star in 2018 and 2019, posting his best numbers in the latter season with a league-leading 8.9 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) and 119 walks, as well as career highs in runs scored (122), home runs (41) and RBI (112). His slash line of .296/.423/.592 was a high mark as well, and he won a Silver Slugger award and was the AL MVP runner-up.
He helped the Astros win championships in 2017 and 2022 and has 19 home runs and 54 RBI across 99 career playoff games.
Bregman will turn 31 in March, is coming off a .260/.315/.453 triple slash last year which was among the worst since becoming a big leaguer and his 26 home runs and 75 RBI were below his career averages, but he earned his first Gold Glove award in 2024 as well.
Bowden ranked Bregman second on his list of top free agents, only behind Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki.
“…Boston is my favorite spot for Bregman, who will turn 31 in March. They need a right-handed power pull hitter, and he would do significant damage to the Green Monster in left field,” Bowden wrote. “They could move Rafael Devers to first base and put Triston Casas at DH or they could just put Bregman at second base full-time. His leadership and ability to grind at-bats would help this young roster. He could be the final piece in getting the Red Sox back to the postseason.”
Where Would Bregman Fit Into 2025 Red Sox Lineup?
Rafael Devers (the team’s franchise cornerstone) has notably never played first base since making his MLB debut in 2017. While his work at the hot corner has often caused fans to groan and moan over the years, that’s where he’s used to playing, suiting up 951 times at third in the regular season and just twice at second base and twice at shortstop.
Bregman, meanwhile, hasn’t played a regular season tilt for Houston anywhere on the diamond other than third base since 2019. He manned second base three times in 2016, four times in 2017 and twice in 2018 but also played shortstop in 129 games from 2016-19.
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter predicted every team’s Opening Day lineup on Monday and had Bregman slated as Boston’s second baseman and batting cleanup.
“The longer Alex Bregman’s free agency drags out, the more likely it seems that he will end up being the Red Sox’s big addition to the offense. If they can find a taker for Masataka Yoshida, they could shift Rafael Devers to DH and use Bregman at the hot corner, but for now he is reportedly open to a move to second base,” Reuter wrote.
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Insider Projects Alex Bregman as ‘Final Piece’ for Red Sox Playoff Push