Red Sox-Alex Bregman Reunion May Be In Peril As Unexpected Suitor Emerges

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Things are getting awfully interesting between the Boston Red Sox and a team they usually don't have to worry about as rivals: the Arizona Diamondbacks.
For the past couple of weeks, the Red Sox and Diamondbacks have often been linked as potential partners in a trade for Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte. But on Tuesday, a surprise twist occurred, as the Diamondbacks came out of nowhere in the free-agent rumor mill.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Diamondbacks are "kicking the tires" on incumbent Red Sox All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman, whose free-agent market had been relatively quiet since the winter meetings, when stars like Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso signed and he didn't.
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D-backs enter Bregman sweepstakes, throw Red Sox major curveball
"The Arizona Diamondbacks have become a surprise entrant in the Alex Bregman sweepstakes and are ‘kicking the tires’ on the possibility," wrote Nightengale. "The Dbacks would certainly have the financial flexibility if they move (second baseman) Ketel Marte and could move (third baseman) Jordan Lawlar to (second)."
New York Post insider Jon Heyman quickly confirmed Arizona's interest, and also rightfully noted that whether Bregman signs in Arizona or not, the Diamondbacks could have serious leverage in Marte trade negotiations if Boston is still prioritizing re-signing their own star infielder.
"It’ll be interesting to see how this could affect the Ketel Marte trade talks, especially with Red Sox," Heyman noted.
Hours before Marte, popular Red Sox podcaster Jared Carrabis, who is also a friend of Bregman's, took to X to express that he didn't "feel super great" about a new deal between Bregman and the Red Sox and hinted that a "mystery team" was "coming in hot" for the 31-year-old All-Star.
When Nightengale reported that the Diamondbacks were involved, Carrabis quote-tweeted the insider and wrote, "More than just kicking the tires, Bob!"
Whether a deal is imminent between Arizona and Bregman remains to be seen, but it sure seems that something is brewing, and these two clubs are clearly going to have a lot to say about each other's offseason plans the rest of the way.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Boston Red Sox On SI, please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org