by Alex Bregman is making his
long-awaited return
to the Red Sox lineup against the Tampa Bay Rays Friday night.
Boston’s star infielder missed the last 43 games with a right quad strain and has worked tirelessly to get back on the diamond before MLB’s All-Star break.
However, over the last couple of weeks during Bregman’s recovery, his name has been floated in trade rumors. MLB insider Jim Bowden reported that if the Red Sox and Bregman cannot agree to a contract extension before the trade deadline (Thursday, July 31), there are several suitors, such as the Detroit Tigers, who are ready to make a deal for the player.
Bregman’s agent, Scott Boras,
said last month
the player’s side is open to extension talks. Bregman signed a three-year, $120 million contract with Boston on Feb. 15, which includes opt-outs after 2025 and 2026.
Although,
WEEI’s Rob Bradford
reported Thursday that no such discussions have taken place yet.
Regardless of where extension conversations stand between the Red Sox and Bregman,
The Athletic
’s Ken Rosenthal
threw cold water on the idea of the Red Sox dealing Bregman.
“The possibility of the Boston Red Sox trading third baseman Alex Bregman is remote. So remote, you’d sooner see a certain 5-foot-4 reporter in a bow tie dunking on the 7-foot-3 Victor Wembanyama,” the self-deprecating Rosenthal wrote.
“For the Red Sox, trading Bregman makes no sense, even if they cannot sign him to an extension before the deadline, even if they stumble while facing a difficult schedule over the next three weeks,” he added.
Given Boston’s decision to deal Rafael Devers last month, it feels like anything, including a Bregman trade, could be on the table for chief baseball officer Craig Breslow ahead of this month’s trade deadline.
However, Rosenthal noted the Devers trade “is probably the biggest deal that will go down” in all of baseball this season.
While the Devers trade came at a terrible time for the Red Sox (coming off a sweep of the New York Yankees and getting back above .500), a Bregman trade would also be tough to swallow. That is, assuming Bregman returns to his productive self post-quad strain.
Boston is on a seven-game winning streak entering Friday and has sole possession of the American League’s third and final wild card spot. Not to mention, it’s five games back of the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East.
That being said, Bregman’s return is coming at an ideal time. With his help, the Red Sox could gain significant ground in the division and the playoff race in general by taking, say, three games out of four against the Rays entering the All-Star break.
Even if Boston does the opposite and begins to falter, dealing Bregman still doesn’t make sense. He is Boston’s de facto clubhouse leader, and he’ll certainly be the leader in the lineup beginning this weekend and through the rest of the season.
Throughout Bregman’s recovery, he has visibly been a central part of the Red Sox’ dugout during games. He has been seen alongside Garrett Crochet cheering on the team, as well as seemingly coaching up players like Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer after at-bats.
Boston has exceeded expectations post-Devers. However, it would be hard to imagine similar results if Bregman were to be traded.
Kaley Brown is a sports producer for Boston.com, where she covers the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.
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