Any team that wants to sign Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman knows exactly what they’re getting: an elite glove and a proven impact hitter from the right side.
After opting out of the final two seasons of a three-year, $120 million deal with the Red Sox, Bregman is among the premier players on this offseason’s MLB free agent market. Bregman and the Red Sox fit like a glove, but the three-time All-Star figures to have plenty of suitors.
Here are the three best fits for Bregman should he depart Boston.
Alex Bregman spent the first nine seasons of his MLB career with the Houston Astros, winning two World Series (2017 and 2022). (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
Yes, the D-backs were sellers at last season’s trade deadline, most notably moving infielders Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor and right-hander Merrill Kelly. At the same time, this is a roster that can stay afloat enough to be in the National League wild card mix in 2026, an aim which adding Bregman would assist.
Bregman would fill a long-term vacancy that exists at the hot corner for the D-backs, forming a stellar infield unit that already includes Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo. Last offseason, Arizona, one year removed from reaching the World Series and then winning 89 games in 2024, signed ace Corbin Burnes to a six-year, $210 million deal and acquired Naylor. Regardless of how those moves have panned out – Burnes had Tommy John surgery in June and Naylor was traded in July – those swings indicated that the D-backs viewed themselves in a win-now situation.
Arizona can retool this offseason by using the money it would’ve spent to keep those that it traded at the deadline on proven commodities and/or stars like Bregman. Plus, the D-backs have the prospect capital attained in those trades. Bregman gives them a proven force to slot in the middle of its lineup.
All that said, what could halt Bregman from going to the desert is him potentially preferring to sign with a team that’s a World Series contender; the D-backs likely aren’t more than a mere wild-card threat next season, especially given their prolific competition in the NL West, between the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants.
Alex Bregman was a Gold Glover in 2024. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Last season was painful for Seattle. Up 2-0 and then 3-2 in the American League Championship Series, the Mariners still lost to the Toronto Blue Jays. The heartbreaking playoff exit now gives Seattle an excuse to be a menace this offseason. Enter Alex Bregman.
Suarez came through with some clutch home runs in the postseason and possesses more power than Bregman, but the latter is more crisp at third base and would be an overall upgrade at the position for Seattle; Bregman posted 1 Defensive Runs Saved at third base last season, whereas Suarez posted -6 DRS. A left side of the infield that features Bregman and J.P. Crawford would be as defensively sound as any in the sport.
Moreover, Bregman is ultra-battle-tested in postseason play, appearing in the playoffs for Boston last season and Houston in each of the previous eight seasons. He would provide the Mariners with a star who hits for both contact and slug and strikes out with low frequency.
What could stop the Mariners from prioritizing Bregman, though, is them potentially feeling that they could re-sign Suarez at a lower rate than Bregman and also be able to retain Naylor in doing so. In other words, they could focus on keeping their starting infield, including Jorge Polanco, and choose to upgrade elsewhere, perhaps with a trade?
Alex Bregman posted 3.5 wins above replacement across 114 regular-season games in 2025. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Getty Images)
Bregman could be the player who pushes the Tigers over the top.
Detroit had a revolving door at third base. While Zach McKinstry, Andy Ibanez and Colt Keith all had their moments, Bregman would be a definitive answer for the Tigers at the hot corner, allowing manager A.J. Hinch to use the aforementioned infielders in utility roles and/or move one of them to second base should Detroit lose Gleyber Torres to free agency. Speaking of Hinch, Bregman played for Detroit’s skipper in Houston from 2016-19.
Meanwhile, Bregman would add pop to an offense that was respectable in 2025 but also middle of the pack on several fronts. Bregman provides a much-needed impact hitter and would make a plausible Tigers’ offense a fearsome one, joining forces with the likes of Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter and Spencer Torkelson, among others.
Detroit was one run away from advancing to the ALCS and blew a mammoth, 15.5-game lead on the Cleveland Guardians for first place in the AL Central. On top of it all, the Tigers averaged just 3.6 runs per game, scoring no more than two runs in four of their eight postseason games and lost 3-2 in its season-ending, 15-inning ALDS Game 5 loss to Seattle. Tarik Skubal is the face of a formidable Tigers’ starting rotation and their bullpen is capable of being a lockdown unit. Adding another impact hitter is a requirement this offseason.
Bregman would make Detroit the best team in the AL Central and as potent as any team in the AL.
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