Ex-MLB GM Predicts Red Sox Will Sign Star Free Agent As ‘Final Piece’

The Boston Red Sox already tapped into free agency and the trade market to bolster their rotation, signing right-hander Walker Buehler to a one-year contract and acquiring left-hander Garrett Crochet in a blockbuster deal with the Chicago White Sox.

Now, the focus is on the Red Sox’s lineup and whether chief baseball officer Craig Breslow can land an impact hitter to boost Boston’s offensive ceiling for 2025.

The Athletic’s Jim Bowden, a former MLB general manager, believes the Red Sox will make a significant splash by signing free-agent infielder Alex Bregman, arguably the best position player remaining on the open market.

“They need a right-handed power pull hitter, and he would do significant damage to the Green Monster in left field,” Bowden wrote Monday. “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.”

Bowden also mentioned the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Seattle Mariners as potential suitors, before pointing to the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers as the “most likely landing spots” for Bregman. But each of those options seemingly comes with roadblocks, which could open the door for Bregman to join the Red Sox.

“So he might want to sign a shorter deal with a higher average annual value and opt-outs, then look to go back on the free-agent market next offseason or after the 2026 season,” Bowden wrote.

Bregman, who turns 31 in March, won’t come cheap. The 2015 first-round pick is a two-time All-Star and a two-time World Series champion who cemented himself as a franchise cornerstone across nine seasons with the Houston Astros.

He’s also an imperfect fit given that he’s played mostly third base — he’s coming off a Gold Glove campaign there in 2024 — and the Red Sox currently have Rafael Devers entrenched at the hot corner. Plus, there were some slight signs of regression from Bregman last season.

But he’d undoubtedly satisfy Boston’s need for a right-handed bat. And he’d go a long way toward reestablishing a winning culture that has eluded the Red Sox in recent seasons, a development that’s crucial as the club welcomes several younger players into the mix.