Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox Insider Hints At Big Things To Come In 2026 Free Agency

What can Boston accomplish, and how soon?
Jackson Roberts|
Jul 20, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman (2) points after he hit a three run home run against the Chicago Cubs during the eighth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
Jul 20, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman (2) points after he hit a three run home run against the Chicago Cubs during the eighth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox fans are at this point painfully aware that their favorite team hasn't signed a free agent.

Yes, the Red Sox have traded for Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Johan Oviedo, taking on more than double the retained salary of any other team in the trade market. But there's something magical about winning a bidding war when a player is free to go anywhere they choose.

Last winter, the Red Sox did that with third baseman Alex Bregman. This year, whether it's Bregman or someone else, the fan base desperately hopes to see them do it again.

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Red Sox fans get encouraging sign from insider Rob Bradford

During an appearance on the "Greg Hill Show" on Friday, WEEI's Rob Bradford partially excused the Red Sox's inaction to this point based on how the market has moved, while also hinting that Boston still had a chance to make some serious noise before spring training.

"When it comes to the Red Sox, it's easy right now to sit here and say, 'You are one of two teams, the other being the Colorado Rockies, that hasn't signed a free agent,'" Bradford said. "But my lean is, you've still got to wait a little bit.

"I don't agree with what they're doing. I want them to do what the Toronto Blue Jays did. I want them to be the shock and awe team. ... Teams are slow-playing this. They're playing the market. And that's what the Red Sox are doing here."

Bradford also used the three-year, $54 million reported deal Japanese righty Tatsuya Imai got from the Houston Astros on Thursday as evidence that a lot of free agents weren't finding the market as lucrative as they might have imagined.

It was Bradford's continued belief, as it seems to be for most insiders, that the Red Sox's "Plan A" is re-signing third baseman Alex Bregman. Competition continues to be stiff, but Boston making a push to get a new deal for the three-time All-Star over the finish line looks like a realistic possibility.

More MLB: Red Sox Predicted To Make Splash Free-Agent Signing By MLB Insider

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Jackson Roberts
JACKSON ROBERTS

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

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