The Boston Red Sox, by all accounts, really enjoyed having Alex Bregman on their roster in 2025.
It's looking less and less likely he'll be suiting up in Fenway Park in 2026.
Bregman is a free agent after opting-out of his contract, and although the Red Sox are in pursuit, they may not be the ones who land him.
The Athletic's Jim Bowden laid out the case for a few different teams on Wednesday in a new article. He lists both the Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers as better matches for Bregman than the Red Sox.
"Bregman is looking for a long-term commitment like (Kyle) Schwarber and Pete Alonso just received," Bowden writes. "His best shot to get that at this point would be with the Cubs, who will be trying to replace Tucker in the lineup. The Cubs covet Bregman’s leadership and mentorship of younger players. If they were to sign him, they could move Matt Shaw to second base and trade impending free agent Nico Hoerner or just move Shaw to the outfield."
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Bowden then explains the problem with the Red Sox in this equation.
"The Tigers offered Bregman a long-term deal last offseason, and if it’s still on the table he might grab it this year," Bowden writes. "The Red Sox want him back, but I’m not sure they’re going to meet his contractual demands."
Bowden just above this point in his article had listed the Red Sox as the best free agent match for Bo Bichette, who they could slot into third base to replace Bregman, so if that happened, this wouldn't all be bad.
But for those Red Sox fans with Bregman jerseys, the lifespan on those may turn out to be rather short-lived.
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