Scott Boras shares Bregman nugget that could lead All-Star to Boston originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Now here’s a piece of news that may have slipped under the radar, but could have ramifications for the Red Sox: Free agent Alex Bregman is willing to move to second base.
As the Red Sox try to get more right-handed this winter, Bregman looks like an obvious fit – with one major exception. Because he plays the same position as Rafael Devers, slotting him onto the roster at his natural spot of third base won’t be easy.
Bregman just won his first Gold Glove and has long been one of the best defensive third basemen in baseball. He just had the misfortune of sharing a league with Matt Chapman for most of his nine-year career, thus denying him that hardware. (Chapman switched leagues this year and recently won his fifth Gold Glove, with the Giants).
There’s no question Bregman would represent a significant defensive upgrade over the inconsistent Devers, but such moves aren’t made in a vacuum, and Devers’ ego must be taken into consideration, especially since he’s the highest-paid player in club history at $313 million.
He has made it clear he considers himself a third baseman and derives part of his identity from manning the position. The Red Sox must weigh the mental repercussions of any move. And that’s to say nothing of the domino effect it would have on the rest of the roster.
Does Devers take first base and force a trade of Triston Casas? Does he shift to designated hitter, where Masataka Yoshida is in the middle of a $90 million contract? Does Yoshida need to then take his subpar glove back to the outfield?
Second base is an entirely different story. The Red Sox traded left-hander Chris Sale to the Braves last year for young infielder Vaughn Grissom on the assumption that he’d take over the double play pivot and join the club’s promising young prospect core as a key part of the next great Red Sox team.
So much for that. While Sale won the pitching triple crown in the National League and is the overwhelming favorite to claim the first Cy Young Award of his illustrious career, Grissom practically played himself off the roster. He battled injury and illness while hitting just .190 and exhibiting worrisome throwing mechanics. He’s now merely one of many competing for the job, rather than the entrenched incumbent.
Enter Bregman. His agent, Scott Boras, highlighted Bregman’s place at the center of the recent Astros juggernaut. He’s well-known across baseball as a leader and heart-and-soul kind of player, and he’s no stranger to the big stage. Boras then just dropped this little nugget:
“You just don’t have many players on the dirt that do what he does,” Boras told reporters, including Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY. “Also that Bregman can play second base, third base, his leadership, it’s a market certainly that the Astros are very aware is very healthy to him.”
Second base? Boras says nothing unintentionally, and that comment is surely designed to expand Bregman’s market. Suddenly the Red Sox make much more sense as a destination.
Bregman is a superstar, and putting him at second base would solve two problems without impacting the team’s prospect pool or the rest of the roster. He has only played nine games there in his career, but he has made 129 appearances at short, and we’ve already mentioned he’s a Gold Glover at third.
Even if the 6-foot, 190-pounder is no longer than 9-WAR player with 40-homer power of five years ago, he’s still damn good as he enters his age-31 season.
And while some might argue that the second base job should go to prospect Kristian Campbell, there’s no comparison between a rookie and an established star like Bregman, besides which, Campbell can also play shortstop and outfield; there are other ways to get his bat into the lineup if that’s the goal. Signing Bregman would also open the possibility of making Campbell the centerpiece of a deal for young pitching, should management choose to fill any rotation openings that way.
The Athletic’s Tim Britton projects that Bregman will receive a six-year, $180 million contract. Given how poorly Boras’s clients performed last year while awaiting big paydays that never came, perhaps his guys will be more amenable to signing earlier this time around.
That could make Bregman a perfect solution for the Red Sox in an unexpected fashion, with the added bonus of establishing that, this offseason, the Red Sox really do plan to make a splash.