Bichette or bust? Four options for Red Sox after Bregman disaster originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

With Alex Bregman joining the Chicago Cubs in free agency, the Boston Red Sox’ offseason has gone from underwhelming to unmitigated disaster.

Bregman signed a five-year, $175 million contract with the Cubs on Saturday, two months after opting out of the final two years of his Red Sox pact. Boston’s offer was reportedly $165 million over five years with significant deferrals and worth $2 million less in average annual value than Chicago’s deal, which also includes a full no-trade clause.

The Red Sox’ failure to re-sign Bregman has left the club with a massive question mark at third base. One year after signing Bregman — a deal that ultimately led to Rafael Devers being shipped to San Francisco — Boston will enter the 2026 campaign with neither star player. It’s the worst-case scenario for Boston and a major letdown after an encouraging 2025 season.

So, where do the Red Sox go from here? It’s still possible to rebound from Bregman’s departure, but the options are dwindling.

Below are Boston’s four options for replacing Bregman, plus a “rating” and “likelihood” for each on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best). The higher the rating, the more the move makes sense. The higher the likelihood, the more we can picture the move happening.

Option No. 1 – Sign Bo Bichette

• Rating: 9/10
• Likelihood: 4/10

Bichette is the no-brainer Plan B, but it’s hard to imagine the Red Sox spending big for the 27-year-old. They’ve shown zero willingness to overextend themselves for top-tier free agents, and Bichette is reportedly seeking a deal worth around $300 million. If his market is anywhere near that figure, that’s a non-starter.

Still, the Red Sox should be aggressive for Bichette as he’s the only truly appealing option left. He’d give Boston the right-handed infield bat it desperately needs while stabilizing what has been a revolving door at the second base position. With Bichette at second, Boston could comfortably roll with former top prospect Marcelo Mayer at third.

Option No. 2 – Sign Eugenio Suarez

• Rating: 3/10
• Likelihood: 6/10

Suarez’s right-handed power at Fenway Park would be fun to watch, but it sure would be ironic to sign one of the worst defensive third basemen in the league right after shipping Devers out of town.

Infield defense has been a consistent problem for Boston in recent years, and putting Suarez at the hot corner would only worsen those issues. Sure, he might hit 40-plus homers, but the soon-to-be 35-year-old will also strike out in about 30 percent of his plate appearances. For a lineup that already strikes out at a high clip — and one that added another strikeout-prone hitter in Willson Contreras — Suarez simply isn’t the right fit.

Option No. 3 – Trade for a second or third baseman

• Rating: 7/10
• Likelihood: 4/10

The Red Sox haven’t spent a cent on a big-league free agent this offseason, but they’ve added payroll with a handful of trades. Will Breslow stay active on the trade market to fill the infield void?

If Boston pursues another trade, St. Louis Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan and Chicago Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner stand out as potential options. The Red Sox reportedly showed interest in Donovan earlier in the offseason, and Hoerner emerged as a trade candidate after Chicago landed Bregman.

Neither profiles as the big bat the Red Sox need, but beggars can’t be choosers at this point. The problem is Breslow doesn’t have many valuable trade chips at his disposal outside of young lefties Peyton Tolle and Connelly Early, and parting ways with either of them for Donovan or a similar option would be foolish.

Option No. 4 – Stick with internal options, upgrade elsewhere

• Rating: 3/10
• Likelihood: 8/10

It’s beginning to look like Breslow and the Red Sox are ready to roll into spring training with their current infield group and hope for the best. That would likely mean Mayer at third base with a combination, David Hamilton, Romy Gonzalez, and Ceddanne Rafaela at second. Perhaps former top prospect Kristian Campbell could spend some time at second as well, but he exclusively played outfield and DH while playing winter ball in Puerto Rico.

If this is the route the Red Sox decide to go, they could allocate their resources toward talented players who don’t necessarily fill a position of need. For example, outfielder Kyle Tucker remains on the market as the No. 1 free agent in this year’s class. Boston’s outfield logjam makes such a move improbable, but Breslow could theoretically add Tucker and trade Jarren Duran and/or Wilyer Abreu for a haul. Again, this scenario is extremely unlikely.

Boston could also shift its focus back to improving the pitching staff. The starting rotation is already solid, but Framber Valdez and Ranger Suarez are still out there in free agency. The Red Sox have also reportedly shown interest in acquiring Milwaukee Brewers righty Freddy Peralta, who would immediately slot in as the club’s No. 2 starter.

Eagle-eyed Los Angeles Lakers fans might notice something different about LeBron James’ jersey when he takes the court Monday night. James is expected to wear a patch on his jersey that celebrates his record-setting 23rd NBA season, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

The patch, which will appear on the upper right of James’ chest, features a silhouette of James doing his pre-game chalk toss. Behind that, there are three colored stripes, each of which represent one of the three teams James has played for during his career. The number 23, to represent how many years James has played in the NBA, is also front and center on the patch.

[Get more Lakers news: Los Angeles team feed]

James, 41, is expected to wear the patch for the rest of the regular season, per ESPN. 

Following each game, the patch will be removed so it can be packaged in select Topps trading cards. Each patch will be dated and authenticated before being placed in those cards.

In November, James set the record for most seasons played in the NBA. James — who missed the first 14 games of the season due to sciatica — surpassed NBA Hall of Famer Vince Carter, who played in 22 seasons over his NBA career. 

Despite his age and longevity, James continues to put up excellent numbers. In his 23rd season, James is averaging 21.9 points, 6.9 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game. Through 36 games, the Lakers are 23-13 on the season and sit in fifth place in the Western Conference. 

James had not commented on whether his 23rd NBA season will be his last. While his career is close to ending, the superstar could opt to play another season depending on how this year goes. James has shown he still has plenty of ability left, so his decision to keep playing will depend on how much he wants to put his body on the line for another year. 

Hall-of-Famer Rogers Hornsby once delivered what might be the ultimate offseason baseball quote, saying “People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do: I stare out the window and wait for spring.”

We feel you, Rajah. In our modern times (Hornsby played from 1915-1937 and batted .358), the offseason usually brings some distraction via free agency, trades, and other moves. But it’s been slow going recently. So we stare at our computer screens and wait for the hot stove to flare again.

With that in mind, here are 10 predictions for the rest of this chilly baseball winter. Some may differ from some of our earlier prognostications – hey, the offseason evolves as it goes, depending on what players sign where.

Five of the first 10 players on MLB Trade Rumors’ thorough list of the top 50 free agents are still out there, and 10 of the top 30. A team or two could be vastly different by the time spring camps open.

So, even if you’re unsatisfied with your favorite team’s offseason (you know who you are), there’s still plenty of time to enjoy this winter.

Tuck(er) everlasting

Yes, Kyle Tucker gets his long-term deal and it’s with the Blue Jays. Why not? They’ve already had a huge winter and one more mega move could put them in a Dodgers-esque stratosphere. In all the chatter out there on Tucker, the Mets and Dodgers have profiled as teams looking to give him a shorter pact. Toronto’s been believed to have interest in a longer one. That’s the difference.

Back to Belli

We admit, the staredown between the Yankees and Cody Bellinger (and Scott Boras) is mildly amusing. But this signing still feels inevitable, even if the Yanks are looking into the other big free agents still remaining. Bellinger just fits perfectly in the Bronx, thanks to his lefty swing, versatility and the contact skills the club needs so badly. 

Met life

So much online handwringing over the Mets winter, eh? It’s not over yet and, at least in the top-of-the-rotation part of the market, waiting and giving a shorter-term deal works. Hello, Framber Valdez! Since 2022, only Logan Webb has thrown more innings than Valdez and the Mets sure need reliable length considering how, um, unreliable their rotation was last season. Valdez, 32, gets tons of ground balls, which melds nicely with David Stearns’ run-prevention dictum.

Speaking of run prevention…

The Mets also sign free agent outfielder Harrison Bader, who certainly fits. He’s a spectacular defender and this is the Met winter of, well, you know. Bader can play center field while the Mets see if prospect Carson Benge really is ready to take over a big league gig. If Benge earns a job, Bader could play some left field, be a defensive replacement, and a righty bench bat. He had career-bests in homers and OPS last season.

Bo knows LA

The Dodgers are two-time defending champs and already addressed one weakness by adding Edwin Díaz. They only got a .649 OPS from their second basemen last season, so they sign Bo Bichette to fix another flaw. It puts Bichette at a position he’s better suited for and adds a nifty contact bat to their lineup. Could be a short-term deal, which Bichette, who turns 28 in March, might consider because it’d put him back on the market while still in his prime. Three-peat, anyone?

Swap meet

The Yankees have some intriguing prospect arms. But it’s unlikely they all bloom into big league stars. So Brian Cashman and his front office look to use a few to dive into the trade market and acquire lefty MacKenzie Gore, who will be 27 in February, from the Nationals and infielder Nico Hoerner from the Cubs. Gore provides high-end rotation depth and a talented arm that they could develop further. Hoerner, 28, would provide up-the-middle versatility, some on-base skills, and speed.

Rotation lions

Wait, all our predictions don’t come true? Huh. In that case, we offer this Yankee contingency: If they deem the prospect price too dear for Gore, they pivot to a cash-only deal and sign either Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer to provide the rotation insurance they need with both Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón starting the season on the shelf. Fun to think about one of the two future Hall-of-Famers donning pinstripes for one last October romp.

Giant addition

Can’t stress this enough – if you are in a division with the Dodgers, you must load up. So the Giants, who have already done some pitching work this winter, add another arm by signing Ranger Suárez. He goes into their rotation mix behind Webb and Robbie Ray. For whatever it’s worth, Suárez got a playoff win against the Dodgers last October and has a 3.64 ERA against them.

Make contact

Maybe we’re just trying to write this one into existence, but here goes: The Yankees sign Luis Arráez, the bat-to-ball Jedi. We know contact is his lone skill and that he’s not a good defender, doesn’t have power, yadda, yadda. He’s a lefty, too. So it’s got a few rough edges, roster construction-wise. But after the baseball world watched the Blue Jays set a postseason record for hits last October, it might be worth adding a little contact to the homer-happy Yankees. Arráez owns three batting titles and has led his league in hits twice, including last season.

Bass(itt) fishing

You still have hard feelings over Chris Bassitt’s poor outing for the Mets in Game 3 of the 2022 Wild Card Series against the Padres? Get over it. He can help the Mets now and exudes a toughness that, frankly, the current group could use. Bassitt pitched brilliantly out of the bullpen for Toronto last October (1.04 ERA in seven games) and provided reliable innings as a starter in three years there. Teams love versatility! So the Mets sign him as a hybrid pitcher.