What we’re hearing on what’s next for Red Sox after losing out on Alex Bregman

The news that Alex Bregman had agreed to terms with the Cubs Saturday night shook the Red Sox, forcing them to re-consider their plans for the remainder of the offseason.

All along, the Red Sox envisioned Bregman returning to them and providing a strong right-handed bat and his elite defense at a vacant position.

Now, the Red Sox find themselves having to change course. Bo Bichette, who could play either second or third, remains available. But with reported interest from the Philadelphia Phillies, among others, the odds don’t favor the Sox winning a contested bidding war for the infielder.

Given Bichette’s robust market and Boston’s obvious reluctance to grant long-term deals for players into their mid-to-late thirties, the Sox are, at best, long shots.

The remainder of the free agent market has largely been picked over. Eugenio Suárez would provide Boston with the raw power it lacks, but given his substandard defense, he would profile more as a designated hitter — a position at which the Red Sox might already have too many options. Moreover, Suarez’s alarming strikeout rate — a career-high 35.9% in 2025 — would run counter to their efforts to create an offensive attack that features more regular contact.

According to a source with knowledge of Suárez’s market, the Red Sox have indicated they “like” Suárez and there’s an expectation that he will soon find out whether or not they plan on being serious bidders. About a month ago, the Red Sox viewed him a fall-back option if Bregman, Jorge Polanco, Ketel Marte and others fell off the board. Now, with options dwindling, Suárez seems like someone they will have to at least explore.

Some trade possibilities remain, including Houston’s Isaac Paredes, who would offer better bat-to-ball skills, but little in the way of power, as reflected by his meager .429 career slugging percentage. A player like Paredes wouldn’t qualify as much of a needle-mover in the lineup, but could still be a contributor, especially given his positional versatility. St. Louis is still shopping second baseman Brendan Donovan and the Red Sox could look back to Chaim Bloom for a third time in trade talks this winter, too. Nolan Arenado is also obviously available. The Cubs, after adding Bregman, could entertain offers for Nico Hoerner or Matt Shaw, too.

Creative possibilities remain in play, too. On Sunday, hours after the Bregman news broke, industry sources indicated the Red Sox were at least considering a pivot to focusing on pitching additions as they attempt to make a big-ticket move. The thinking is to build a roster focused more on run prevention through pitching.

If the Red Sox can’t outslug teams, they could always prioritize enhancing their pitching staff, even after adding Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo to a crowded rotation mix this winter. Two top free agent lefties remain on the market — Framber Valdez and Ranger Suárez — though their age and mileage could serve as flashing red lights for an organization which has shown a reluctance to take on the risk of veteran arms. Zac Gallen remains available, too, as a high-upside option, and Chris Bassitt, Lucas Giolito and Nick Martinez are among other pitchers who remain unsigned. The Red Sox showed their willingness to add more than $30 million to their competitive balance tax (CBT) number with their (heavily deferred) five-year, $165 million losing offer to Bregman. If Bichette goes elsewhere as expected, a pitching addition could be a way to allocate those dollars.

The Red Sox also may be well-positioned to pry a pitcher loose via trade. Though chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said Saturday at Fenway Fest that he expected to retain his four everyday-caliber outfielders for the start of the season, that forecast came hours before the Bregman news.

In particular, the Red Sox could afford to include either Jarren Duran or Ceddanne Rafaela, plus a highly-regarded pitching prospect in exchange for a front-line starter, one who profiles as a legitimate front-of-the-rotation arm.

To this point, the Royals have been reluctant to discuss Cole Ragans in such a proposal, but that could change if the package was enhanced. There’s also Minnesota’s Joe Ryan, a target of the Red Sox dating back to last July, and Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta, who would be a rental. Washington’s MacKenzie Gore, Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller and Miami’s Sandy Alcantara all remain trade candidates as well.

Obtaining any of those arms would be an expensive proposition in terms of asking price, especially because the Red Sox have depleted their farm system with the trades for Gray, Oviedo and Willson Contreras, as well as other moves over the last two years. Still, a rotation fronted by Garrett Crochet and someone like Ragans or Ryan before Gray, Brayan Bello, Oviedo, Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval would be among the best in the game, even before considering any contributions from rookie lefties Connelly Early and Payton Tolle. Doing so would help paper over a lineup which hasn’t been augmented the way the Sox once hoped.

The Red Sox also remain in the market for bullpen arms. As MassLive has reported, veteran lefties Justin Wilson, Cionel Perez, Tim Mayza and Danny Coulombe are all targets. The club has also checked in on Seranthony Domínguez and, continuing an annual offseason tradition, Tommy Kahnle. For the most part, the relief free agent market has been picked over.

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