Who’d believe it’s winter? With the ongoing heated battles between executives of various teams, this December’s meetings feel different. One such case is the Boston Red Sox’s aggression and Alex Bregman’s growing market. Until now, the two were interconnected—the Red Sox needs star players, and who’s better than the 2-time World Series winner, right? But maybe, now, that’s not the fact at all.

The Red Sox’s Chief Baseball Officer, Craig Breslow, has just given a big blow to this growing connection. There were always doubts about Rafael Devers’ presence in third base, and how that would be dealt with once Bregman (himself a great 3B) is signed.

Devers is incredibly talented with the bat, the same cannot be said about his defense. Though he committed a career-low 12 errors last year, he still led American League third basemen in fielding miscues for the seventh straight season. With 14 (in just 57 games), he led all of baseball in errors in 2020 and his 19 errors in 2023 tied Detroit infielder Javier Baez for the most of anyone in the American League.

Probably a move to first would be good for Devers, but the Red Sox have Triston Casas manning that position. A full-time switch to designated hitter might come later in his career, but seems like the Red Sox are not thinking along that line at the moment. The Red Sox will probably stick to Devers as their third baseman. Their manager Alex Cora dismissed a move for Devers at the Winter Meetings in Dallas earlier this week. Now, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow doubled down on Devers remaining at third base.

With rumors of Alex Bregman signing with the team, the recent announcement of Craig Breslow changed the entire narrative. His stance was pretty clear in an interview, pointing out, “Rafael Devers is our third baseman and we are really excited about that,” Breslow told WEEI’s Jones and Keefe. Rafael Devers appeared in 130 games last season, posting a career-best .960 fielding percentage. 

“I think last year, we saw some improvement in terms of the way he was able to move, particularly to his left, which had not been as comfortable for him as to his right. And then toward the middle of the season, after there was a stretch where he almost singlehandedly carried the team for a number of weeks, he had a knee injury, two shoulder injuries.”

“I think that affected him probably more than he was willing to let on, because he wanted to play every day, wanted to do whatever it is that he could to help our team win. He’s working hard right now. Obviously, we made some changes to our coaching staff and feel like we’re going to get the best out of him,” Breslow added. So, where does that put Alex Bregman?

Playing in the same position as Rafael Devers does not seem to be a hindrance for Alex Bregman, given he has been open to changing his position to second base. Notably, there were reports that the internal disagreement between the team’s officials probably closed the door for Alex. Breslow addressed that as well.

As reported, Cora and team president Sam Kennedy wanted to bring in Bregman who could potentially move to second base. But Breslow was as fond of the potential signing. On Thursday, Breslow dismissed the idea that there is a rift in the front office.

“I’m obviously aware of what was written. It came as a surprise. I would say that Alex and baseball operations have incredibly open, honest conversations around a whole host of things. There’s nothing here. We’ll continue to make the best decisions that we can collectively to put the best team on the field, and that’s really it,” he said.

With the Red Sox almost going out of the scene, Bregman is probably left with only three options: Going back to the Houston Astros, which is not likely his priority; or opting for the Detroit Tigers or the New York Yankees—Bregman’s openness to position change might play in his favor.

Investing in Bregman—is it worthwhile?

The talks of Alex Bregman signing a $200 million deal did seem a little too far-fetched for the Red Sox. With already having an expensive third base player, Devers, some of the team’s officials might have been unwilling to take the risk of signing the 30-year-old Bregman. Over the last season’s 145 games, he hit a career-low .768 OPS; so no matter which team signs him, it will be for his past performances. 

So, this deal can be a headscratcher for the Red Sox, but they can also be considering the positive impacts that the veteran can bring. With an MLB career spanning 9 years, Alex Bregman has led the crew for whichever team he signs. Talking about the Red Sox in particular, a huge line-up for the team is left-handed; so, bringing in a right-handed hitter can put a smooth balance.

Notably, Cora was on the coaching staff in Houston during Bregman’s first full year in the majors and saw firsthand what the infielder can do. “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,” Cora had told reporters at the winter meetings.

It was evident that Bregman was a potential infield option for the Red Sox until Breslow’s inclination toward Devers came to light. He reportedly declined a six-year, $156 million to remain in Houston last month.What do you think Bregman should do—lower his price or sign with the Astros again? Share below.