MLB Notebook: Alex Bregman opting out of his contract isn’t the end all be all for the Red Sox; reported massive gap between Tigers and Tarik Skubal in contract talks

When Alex Bregman decided to opt out of his contract with the Red Sox, many fans began to feel a sudden, sharp anxiety about what it would mean for the club moving forward.

For starters, Bregman can’t officially opt out of his three-year, $120-million deal until five days after the World Series. Once the move is official, Bregman will be a sought-after commodity, and whether or not he returns to Boston will be one of the most talked about topics this offseason.

Bregman's departure does not spell the end for the Red Sox. There are options on the free agent market to replace the three-time All-Star, plus the Sox have Marcelo Mayer they could slide to third base, or even swing a trade.

As of now, with Bregman’s money coming off the books, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow could get very creative in how he wants to build out the 2026 roster. There’s a ton of young talent already in-house with Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, Ceddanne Rafaela, Garrett Crochet, and Brayan Bello, all signed to extensions. The Sox have team control over the likes of Wilyer Abreu and Jarren Duran, and both will be heavily talked about in trades this winter.

BREGMAN’S LEADERSHIP SHOULDN’T BE THE ONLY FACTOR IN RE-SIGNING HIM

Ultimately, what does Bregman opting out of his deal with the Red Sox actually mean?

Bregman gets another crack to land a long-term deal. He will turn 32 next season, and after dealing with a right quad injury that sidelined him for a stretch last season, he still produced at a high level, but buyer beware, he’s beginning the back nine of his career.  

The past season, Bregman delivered solid numbers, hitting .273 with 18 home runs and 62 RBI with an .821 OPS. He was voted to his third All-Star team but opted out of the Mid-Summer Classic due to being on the injured list with a right quad issue. 

Prior to his injury, Bregman hit .299 with 11 homers and posted a .938 OPS in 51 games. He missed seven weeks and completely cooled off at the plate, hitting just .250 with seven homers and 27 RBI, and owned a .727 OPS in the second half. He also scuffled at the plate in the month of September, hitting just .216 with two homers and nine RBI with 12 strikeouts in 88 at-bats.

He did take a step back defensively, but that could have had more to do with his quad injury than anything. He was worth one Defensive Run Saved and three Outs Above Average in 972 1/3 innings at the hot corner. For comparison, while with the Astros in 2024, he was worth 6 DRS and 8 OAA, according to Baseball Savant.

Now look, I’m not painting Bregman as this broken-down player whose name carries more weight than his talent at this point in his career. He offers numerous intangibles that teams will love to have. Bregman has been a clubhouse leader his entire career and was excellent for Boston’s young core of Anthony, Campbell, and Mayer.

A student of the game, Bregman eats and sleeps baseball, and he passed on his knowledge to the younger players. This year, he helped Anthony with his swing mechanics.

"Breggy grabbed him one day in Philly, and I remember I was there early, and all of a sudden, I remember him saying, 'Yeah, I've been talking to him about this, you know, let's go,’ said Red Sox hitting coach Pete Fatse on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast with Rob Bradford.

"He starts ripping through video, talking shop; we went right to the cage and got to work. That's what makes him great, and that's where his impact on our group is, like, invaluable to me. ... Roman, the kid would make adjustments that you'd think would take 200 at-bats, and this kid would do it in 30 or 40."

Boston had Anthony’s locker wedged between Bregman’s and Duran’s lockers in spring training. He went on bus trips with the rookies during the spring.

Alex Cora expressed optimism that Bregman would return to Boston while appearing on NESN’s “310 to Left” podcast last week.

"I know that he's the only guy who's got his mind set on what he's gonna do," Cora told hosts Tom Caron and Alex Speier. "But I'm gonna stay very positive. This is a guy that chose us last year because of the right reasons.

"He wanted to be on a playoff team. He wanted to play in Fenway Park. He wanted to be part of this organization, and since day one, he's given 100% to us. ... Him and Reagan (Bregman's wife), they know what they're gonna do, and we just have to wait and see."

Cora’s tight bond with Bregman dates back to their time together in Houston. Last offseason, Cora spoke highly of Bregman, openly recruiting him, but this time around, he doesn’t need to do that, after the veteran has already experienced life in Boston.

“I don’t think I have to let him know how I feel about him,” Cora said. “I think he’s very clear about how I see it, but at the same time, respecting the space of his family and the people who work for him, just making sure you give him that space. It’s very important.”

His presence in the clubhouse is important, but it feels like it’s being wildly overblown that his leadership intangibles should outweigh his on-the-field talent and age.

Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story, who can also opt out of his deal with Boston, wants the club to make bringing back Bregman this offseason a top priority.

“You saw the impact he had on this organization on the field and off the field, leadership-wise,” Story said of Bregman. “All of it. He’s a special player and a special mind. Obviously, very sought-after. He helped us get to where we are today, and hopefully, we can help him for a long time.

“It’s huge. A guy who has been in the postseason nine years in a row. It’s important to have experienced guys, especially in the postseason, and he’s obviously a huge part of this team. I think he’s a huge priority.”

Once free agency begins, teams will begin to circle the waters like sharks, pursuing Bregman. The Red Sox and Tigers are perceived as the two best fits for the veteran. Detroit reportedly offered Bregman a six-year, $171.5-million deal in free agency, but he turned that down, choosing the Red Sox. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand thinks that Bregman will receive a deal similar to what the Tigers offered him.

Bregman’s market will have more suitors this time around because he doesn’t have a qualifying offer attached to him. Teams that sign players who are tagged with a qualifying offer are required to forfeit draft pick compensation. Under the current collective bargaining agreement, players can’t be extended a qualifying offer more than once.

The Mets could become desperate and attempt to make a splash after missing out on the postseason in Juan Soto’s debut season in Queens. Bregman makes sense for the Mets if Pete Alonso bolts in free agency. New York could slide Mark Vientos to first base so Bregman can remain at the hot corner.

FREE AGENT OPTIONS

If Bregman were to leave, the Sox can immediately look at free agent Eugenio Suarez, who hit 49 home runs for the Diamondbacks and Mariners this season. He is two years older than Bregman and a terrible defender at third base. He ranked in the 15th percentile in outs above average at -4 and the 39th percentile in arm strength at 82.9 percent, according to Baseball Savant.

Suarez feels like an all-or-nothing kind of player. He’s either going to strike out or hit a mammoth homer. His strikeout rate was close to 30 percent. He also hit .228 and had a .298 on-base percentage. He did slug .526 and his 49 blasts tied a career-best when he belted the same amount for the Reds in 2019.

His age will likely keep his contract to a three-year pact or possibly two years with a mutual option for the third. He’ll have a market but should wait it out until after Bregman signs and try to cash in on a club that missed out. 

An interesting name to watch this winter will be Japanese third baseman Munetaka Murakami. It’ll be interesting to see whether he can handle the rigors of playing a 162-game schedule in the States. Masataka Yoshida struggled to acclimate himself to the big leagues in his first season in Boston.

Murakami isn’t known for his glove but instead for his power. An oblique strain sidelined him in 2025, but he still mashed 22 homers in 224 plate appearances while hitting .273/.379/.663. His power and youth will land him a long-term contract in free agency.

According to MLB.com, the Red Sox could be in the mix for the Japanese star, depending on how the Bregman situation plays out this winter.  

Nikkan Sports also reported that the Yankees, Phillies, Mets, and Mariners could also be in the hunt for his services.

One reason I don’t see the Sox involved in his sweepstakes is that he’s a left-handed bat, and the team needs more right-handed thump.

Could Breslow convince Bo Bichette to move off shortstop and play third base?

His defense has never been spectacular; he owns a -19 grade in Defensive Runs Saved and a -32 in Outs Above Average. His 2025 season resulted in -12 DRS and -13 OAA. Those numbers from this year were both last among shortstops.

Question marks about his defense and health could scare the Sox. They would also need to convince him to begin his career in Boston over at the hot corner.

Depending on the length of the deal, most Sox fans should be happy if the front office brings him back. Boston hasn’t exactly instilled a ton of confidence in the fanbase over the last five years due to a lack of spending. The Sox are starting to change that narrative, but will need to pay top dollar for a free agent to get fans excited and thinking John Henry is ready to do whatever it takes to win.

Boston is flush with cash, even before it traded Rafael Devers and foisted his entire contract onto the Giants. They have other money coming off the books, including Lucas Giolito and Liam Hendricks’ deals.

The Red Sox are in a position to compete for the postseason and need a few more players to make them true World Series contenders. Signing Bregman comes with a cost, but that type of move is exactly what a serious World Series contender will make.

It takes two to tango, and both sides will need to want to come to terms. Breslow should bring Bregman back, but if he doesn’t, he could find a solid defender at third base and use the cash on Alonso or Kyle Schwarber.

MLB RUMORS

- There is a reported $250 million gap in extension talks between the Tigers and reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. The Detroit Free Press is reporting the Tigers offered four years and less than $100 million last year, indicating Skubal was seeking $350 million.

If he were to sign for that amount or more, it would be the richest contract given to a pitcher, surpassing Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s $325 million deal with the Dodgers.

Skubal’s contract demands make the Red Sox’ deal with Crochet look like an absolute steal for Breslow. He gave the southpaw a six-year deal worth $170 million this season. If the two sides can’t find common ground, Skubal will be a trade candidate this winter.

The Mets, Dodgers, and Yankees are real threats for the left-hander. Boston will be involved, but you’d have to think Detroit’s ask starts with Anthony and will need to include their top pitching prospects, like Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, and Luis Perales. I’m not saying the Sox will need to move all three in a swap, but the Tigers will be looking for a haul if they were to deal the game’s best pitcher.

- The Dodgers are heading back to the World Series after sweeping the Brewers in four games in the National League Championship Series.

Shohei Ohtani was the star of Game 4, belting three homers and striking out 10 batters across six-plus scoreless frames. He opened the game by striking out three batters before crushing a moonshot into the right field seats off Jose Quintana. He followed that homer up with a 469-foot blast in the fourth inning and then again with a solo shot to left-center off Trevor Megill in the bottom of the seventh.

- The Phillies are likely to either trade or release outfielder Nick Castellanos. The 34-year-old is due $20 million next season, which is the final year of his deal, and has a no-trade clause.

Castellanos had the worst offensive season of his career in 2025, hitting .250 with 17 homers and 72 RBI while platooning. The best-case scenario for the Phillies is a bad contract swap versus eating the $20 million.

- The Guardians re-signed their backup catcher Austin Hedges to a one-year deal worth $4 million, the team announced earlier this week.

Hedges, 33, spent the last two seasons in Cleveland and is a standout defender and pitch-framer behind the plate.

- The Yankees held a press conference on Thursday, and Aaron Boone provided notable updates on a handful of his players. Aaron Judge will not need offseason surgery on his right elbow.

- Left-hander Carlos Rodón underwent a procedure to remove loose bodies from his left elbow. The start of his 2026 season is in jeopardy and will leave the Yankees with Max Fried, Luis Gil, Cam Schlittler, and Will Warren as their rotational options before any moves are made this winter. New York will get back Gerrit Cole at some point in 2026; he is still recovering from Tommy John surgery.

- Anthony Volpe had shoulder surgery this week, won’t be able to hit for four months, and won’t be able to dive for six months. He will likely not be ready for Opening Day next season.