Red Sox Narrowly Installed As Favorites For Alex Bregman In Expert Poll

Will Boston handle its business?

Sep 10, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman (2) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a run against the Athletics during the third inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

The Alex Bregman sweepstakes are going to cause a lot of nerves among Boston Red Sox fans this winter.

Bregman, the three-time All-Star third baseman, opted out of two years and $80 million with the Red Sox to seek a longer-term deal. Last winter, the Bregman sweepstakes gripped this fan base as well, but this year, instead of trying to gain a great player, the fan base has to worry about losing one.

Bregman will be seeking a combination of years and dollars that the Red Sox weren't comfortable paying last time around. Will seeing his impact on the clubhouse and the young players on the team chance the calculus this time around?

Red Sox get plurality of expert votes

May 13, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Boston Red Sox third base Alex Bregman (2) strikes out to end the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images | David Reginek-Imagn Images

MLB.com's experts seem to think so, but only by a narrow margin.

On Friday, the site published the results of free agency prediction polls given to 46 MLB.com writers, and 43% of them picked the Red Sox to retain Bregman, while 37% had him signing with the Detroit Tigers, who were almost certainly the runners-up last time around.

"Bregman opted out of his Red Sox contract, but a plurality of our voters believe he will return to Beantown," the site's accompanying article read. "Bregman inked a three-year, $120 million contract with Boston last February. However, he admitted that he was 'really close' to signing with the Tigers prior to the 2025 season, and many of our voters think Detroit will reel in Bregman this time."

Other teams to receive at least one vote were the Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, and Kansas City Royals. But it seems like the consensus among most these days is that it will come down to the Red Sox and Tigers.

In a way, it's perfect that the Red Sox got the plurality of the votes, but not the majority. Confidence that the team will offer a five-year deal to Bregman is somewhat shaky, and a six-year deal fairly low. The spending is mostly controlled by ownership, but one thing this Red Sox front office has been is risk-averse, and a long-term deal for a player entering his age-32 season doesn't jive with that philosophy.

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