Red Sox's Sonny Gray Trade Could Have Harsh Alex Bregman Consequences, Per Insider

Was this deal a bad omen for Bregman's return?

Aug 22, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman (2) prior to the game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

There's a lot more to unpack about the Boston Red Sox trading for Sonny Gray than simply what he brings to the rotation.

As The Boston Globe's Alex Speier reported on Tuesday, the Red Sox will wind up paying $21 million for Gray against the luxury tax after the St. Louis Cardinals kicked in $20 million in cash considerations.

What does that added money on the books mean for the rest of the Red Sox's free agency plans, perhaps specifically in regards to Alex Bregman? One beat reporter raised some cause for concern in the immediate aftermath of the deal.

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Will Red Sox struggle to afford Bregman, others?

On Tuesday, MassLive Red Sox insider wondered aloud whether Boston would be able to afford the bats it needs to catch up to the top teams in the American League, pointing out that unless the club is willing to go well over the first luxury tax threshold, there's not a lot of financial wiggle room.

"For CBT (competitive balance tax) purposes, the Sox are quickly closing in on the first threshold," wrote McAdam. "They were at about $210 million before the deal and are now just $11 million short of going over for the second straight season.

"That doesn’t leave a lot of room to either re-sign Alex Bregman and/or another bat at first base or DH."

Bregman, of course, made $40 million this past season, though it counted for just $31.7 million against the CBT. And if the Sox are indeed planning to stay within a few million dollars of that $244 million first threshold, the Gray deal could be a real hindrance.

But what if the Red Sox are more than comfortable going over that first threshold, and possibly the second and third thresholds as well?

What McAdam discounts, as well, is the possibility that the Red Sox could shed some money from the books in other ways. Any dollar saved on Masataka Yoshida's contract would help, though they'd certainly be unable to trade his entire $18.7 million salary in most cases.

It doesn't seem like the Red Sox would make this move this early in the offseason if they didn't feel they had the flexibility to make other big-time splashes.

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