Red Sox Fans Can Ignore Alex Bregman 'Dark Horse' Speculation

There's always going to be speculation out there across Major League Baseball.

As long as there are talented players out there on the open market, there are going to be analysts, insiders, and writers alike posturing the best -- or outside-the-box -- landing spots. That's the nature of the MLB offseason. It's much easier to talk about where a guy fits on television or with an article than it is to actually negotiate and get a deal over the finish line. That's why there is far more speculation than actual moves made.

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One example of this popped up on Friday. Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter shared a story highlighting "dark-horse" landing spots for the top remaining free agents. Now, this is just an exercise, rather than an indication of a deal to come. For Alex Bregman, who Red Sox fans are obviously familiar with, Reuter floated the Los Angeles Angels as the fit.

Don't worry about this one

"Top 3 Suitors: Red Sox, Cubs, Diamondbacks," Reuter wrote. "Dark-Horse Landing Spot: Angels. Despite opting out of the final two years and $80 million of the contract he signed just last offseason, a return to the Red Sox has looked like the top landing spot for Alex Bregman throughout the offseason. However, if they decide to prioritize adding another high-end starting pitcher to join Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray, they could aim lower in their pursuit of infield help.

"If that's the case, his market is ripe for a dark-horse team to come in with an offer he can't refuse, and after officially cutting ties with Anthony Rendon, the Angels are a logical suitor from a roster construction and spending power standpoint."

Sure, the Angels could use a third baseman. But that's where the fit stops. The Angels saved some cash by restructuring Rendon's deal, but The Athletic's Sam Blum made it sound like that idea was more to slash payroll than to add another big deal.

"When the Angels restructured Anthony Rendon’s contract last month, it significantly lessened the team’s 2026 payroll. Slashing millions from the money owed to their beleaguered third baseman in 2026 seemed, in theory, to set the team up to spend this offseason. And given that Rendon was not around the team while rehabbing a hip injury last season, it made sense to try to allocate 2026 money to players who will impact the team this season.

"Instead, it now appears that the contract restructuring could be part of a larger strategy to slash payroll in 2026 rather than allow for more spending."

So, it doesn't appear as though the Angels are going to be handing out a large contract. Plus even if they did, the Angels are nowhere near contention, even if they did bring in Bregman. Again, this was seemingly just an exercise to float possibilities. Some may take it as if it is a sign of something to come. But if you're a Red Sox fan and see speculation about Bregman and the Angels, that can confidently be ignored for now. If the Red Sox are going to lose the Bregman sweepstakes, a team like the Chicago Cubs or even the Arizona Diamondbacks seems far more likely.

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