Red Sox's Chances To Retain Alex Bregman Just Saw Slight Uptick

It can't be Seattle now, can it?

Oct 19, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor (12) runs after hitting a solo home run against the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth inning during game six of the ALCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

The key question in the Boston Red Sox's offseason is whether Alex Bregman stays or goes, and every other move that happens until he signs can swing the pendulum one way or the other.

As the season concluded, the Seattle Mariners were at least a team to watch for Bregman. It was a hugely successful season for Seattle, which advanced within one game of a World Series berth, and that season ended with gaping holes at both corner infield spots.

However, when the Mariners quickly filled one of those holes on Sunday evening, there's a good chance they also took themselves out of the running for Bregman.

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Mariners' Naylor signing likely takes them out of Bregman hunt

On Sunday, the Mariners re-signed first baseman Josh Naylor to a five-year contract, as first reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan. The deal is worth somewhere in the $90-100 million range, according to Ari Alexander of 7 News Boston.

Every free agency move has repercussions for other teams, sometimes positive and sometimes negative. And although it's too early in the offseason to say much with certainty , the fact that the Mariners locked up Naylor probably means they won't be in on Bregman.

The Mariners are a team that typically operates within a budget, and according to Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, that budget is likely around $165 million in terms of opening day payroll. The Naylor signing takes them within $10-12 million of that budget already, though they could perhaps free up some money in trades.

This is a business in which you've got to be willing to eat your words, so if the Mariners announce their presence with authority by grabbing Bregman for $30 million-plus in average annual value, we'll happily eat some crow.

But the Red Sox have probably got enough other suitors to worry about as is (Detroit Tigers, possibly New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies), so right now, it feels safe to downplay Seattle as a threat.

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