Why Reported Alex Bregman Deal ‘Motivates’ Red Sox Infielder

Vaughn Grissom and Kristian Campbell were expected to battle it out in spring training to become the starting second baseman of the Boston Red Sox.

Now, there’s a major roadblock in their way, one which the Red Sox reportedly just gave a boatload of money to.

Boston’s reported three-year, $120 million contract with Alex Bregman dramatically impacts both Grissom and Campbell. All signs point to Bregman taking over at second base, leaving plenty of questions surrounding Grissom’s role and somewhat blocking Campbell’s path to the majors.

Grissom, who came to the Red Sox last season in the Chris Sale trade, faces a bigger obstacle than Campbell with Bregman joining the team. Grissom struggled with hamstring injuries in his first season with Boston and batted just .190 in 31 games.

Grissom came into the camp with something to prove, and that feeling was only heightened with the Red Sox landing Bregman.

“I’d say it motivates me, for sure,” Grissom told reporters, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “Obviously, I would like to share the field with him. I wouldn’t be selfish and get upset because you never know. You never know how the season starts different than it ends. There’s a lot of moving pieces and stuff like that. Anything can happen. … It’s hard to guess what happens in this game. But yeah, it motivates me. I feel ready to go and I can’t wait to meet him, honestly.

“I’m still going to try to be the best ballplayer I can be and help the team win however I can in whatever role that may be. You never know what can happen.”

Campbell is in a much different situation than Grissom. He’s viewed as one of the top prospects in all of baseball after a meteoric rise to Triple-A in his first full season of pro ball in 2024.

The Red Sox bringing in Bregman allows the franchise to be more patient with Campbell and give the 22-year-old more time to develop in the minor leagues. Campbell also has much more positional versatility than Grissom — Campbell can play shortstop, third base and in the outfield while Grissom is open to moving around the diamond — giving the prospect a better opportunity to get more playing time in the big leagues.

And if Campbell sticks with the Red Sox, he’s looking to pick up some tips of the trade from Bregman.

“It was really cool (to see we signed him),” Campbell said. “He’s a really good player. A lot of experience in baseball so it’s really exciting to get a guy like that. Lots to learn from him, being in leadership roles and championship roles. I think it’s a really good thing.

“(I want to) learn as much as possible from someone who has been there and done that their whole career. He’s a great guy from what I’ve heard and it’s a really good player so I’m going to pick his brain, learn as much as I can and keep rolling into spring training with a positive mindset.”