Alex Bregman's Market Explained Amid Red Sox Rumors

The free agency market has slowed to a crawl recently with a handful of impact bats still out there for the taking, including Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, and Cody Bellinger among others.

The Boston Red Sox have been no strangers to the idea of adding another bat, despite the recent addition of Willson Contreras. Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reported after the Contreras deal that Bregman remains a priority. The third baseman turned heads on Tuesday while posting a photo hanging around with Connelly Early.

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But he remains available in free agency, along with a few other stars. Why is that the case? ESPN's Jeff Passan weighed in while answering fan questions on Threads.

The Red Sox have plenty of money to spend

"Same as what's going on with Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman and Cody Bellinger: What they believe they're worth has not been matched by teams," Passan wrote when specifically asked about Bichette. "At this point, it's reasonable to think at least one will slip between the cracks and go for a shorter-term, opt-out-heavy deal we've seen work for Pete Alonso, Matt Chapman, and, for pitchers, Blake Snell. If that sort of deal would work for anyone, it might be Bichette, who could have a big year, show he's healthy, and hit the market again at 28 years old."

On top of this, Passan did say he thinks the Red Sox have another "big move" in them.

"I think the Red Sox have another big move in them, yes," Passan wrote on Threads. "Bichette? Bregman? Another trade? What they have now is good. What they should want is better. Enough impactful players remain available -- particularly at positions of need -- that the Red Sox have ample reason to push."

So, from these blurbs, it sounds like asking prices are still pretty high around the league, which could be a reason for the market moving at a snail's pace. That would make sense. The Red Sox didn't sign Bregman until February ahead of the 2025 season. Ideally, the Red Sox will bring him back and not have to wait that long. But something has to give. The market in general needs a catalyst to shake it up. Maybe that means Bregman signing and then the others follow. Or, another one of the group of Bichette, Tucker, and Bellinger inking a deal to get things moving.

More MLB: Alex Bregman Fuels Red Sox Rumors With Connelly Early