When a team is pursuing a player, their front office must be in agreement, right? But apparently, that isn’t the case for the Red Sox. Alex Bregman is a free agent right now and is pursuing a deal near $200 million. Many teams have shown interest, including the Red Sox. The Houston Astros have even offered him $156 million, but it seems like that is not going to be enough for Bregman, who is expecting more. However, there’s a whole different story with the Red Sox.

It’s one thing to have an external conflict, but the one within the Red Sox is affecting the team’s pursuit of Alex Bregman. Boston is among the teams that are strongly bidding for Bregman; their manager Alex Cora and team president Sam Kennedy are all in to bring the third baseman. But some people in the front office are not—according to sources, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and a few other baseball operations staff are skeptical about bringing Bregman to the Red Sox. But why?

While the reason behind Breslow’s hesitancy is unclear, however, it may have a connection with Bregman’s OPS decline. The last two seasons have not been good for Alex Bregman; he posted .891 in 2022 and .804 in 2023. Last season, he marked .768, which was worse than the previous two years. So, while there is no doubt that Bregman’s OPS has been declining over the years, he still shows promise, and that’s what the teams are after.

Alex Cora, on the other hand, has full confidence in the player, which stems from the fact that Alex Bregman was on the coaching staff in Houston with him. Cora has publicly shown his affection for the 30-year-old, noting, “He’s a complete player. He’s a player who’s been on winning teams his whole career—good defender; offensively, he’s really good. He’s a guy 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,” Alex Cora further added, but is his confidence enough for the Red Sox to pursue him? Bregman is seeking a deal of around $200 million; if no team is willing to give that money, he might go back to the Astros, who have already offered him $156 million.

The Astros have backup plans over Alex Bregman

There is a strong possibility that Alex Bregman will not be reunited with his former team. That being said, what will be the Houston Astros’ backup plan? Of course, Bregman can’t be replaced; he helped the Astros win two World Series championships. But if they miss out on him, the team could add new talent to the roster. According to USA Today, the Astros have shown interest in Nolan Arenado, the star third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Apparently, the squad has informed Arenado that “they will do everything possible to trade him this winter.” These talks have even gotten to the point where the crew has given permission to Bregman’s agent, Joel Wolfe, to get started on a deal. Notably, Wolfe is also the agent of Roki Sasaki, the emerging Japanese pitcher. Wolfe had said that the Los Angeles Dodgers would be his first choice, but he is also open to removing his no-trade clause for a number of teams.

As for Nolan Arenado, he may have had the Dodgers on his list of priorities, but the team has other plans. It seems like they are not looking for any changes in the third baseman position—Max Muncy will continue filling the role for the LA team. However, the Astros’ deal with Arenado depends on whether they can bring Bregman back; if not, then Arenado will be a great backup option.