Red Sox Urged To End Waiting Game, Sign Alex Bregman

The Boston Red Sox are in a better position right now than they were 24 hours ago.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, and the entire Boston front office, continued shopping on the trade block on Sunday night by reportedly agreeing to acquire three-time All-Star Willson Contreras from the St. Louis Cardinals.

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There's been a lot of buzz about the idea of adding two bats this winter. The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey reported that the Red Sox were looking for ways to "get creative" to add two bats. Contreras is the offense's first addition of the offseason and now the club arguably needs just one more. In the aftermath of the Contreras deal, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that the Toronto Blue Jays and Arizona Diamondbacks are viewed as "legitimate suitors" for Alex Bregman, but the insider pushed for the organization to get a deal done.

Do the Red Sox have a big signing in them?

"The Boston Red Sox will have no excuses if they fail to re-sign free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman," Rosenthal wrote. "And they will need to pivot quickly and dramatically if Bregman lands with another club. Both the Toronto Blue Jays and Arizona Diamondbacks have emerged as legitimate suitors for Bregman, according to sources briefed on the discussions. Other clubs, including the Chicago Cubs, also are said to be involved. So, while Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow seemingly has created a clear financial path to bring back Bregman, he must continue exploring other options, knowing none might be as good...

"The answer for the Red Sox is Bregman. If not him, Bichette. And the way Breslow has operated this offseason, making one economically shrewd move after another, the Sox are in a perfect position to strike. They have the money. Time to spend it."

Rosenthal is absolutely right. Right now, FanGraphs has the Red Sox estimated luxury tax payroll to be just under $241 million. The first CBT threshold is roughly $244 million, followed by $264 million, $284 million, and $304 million. Boston has a competitive team on paper and doesn't even need to extend to the furthest depths, but there's plenty of room for the club.

If the Red Sox re-sign Bregman, that arguably would be enough to put this club in the position it needs to be in. Who knows, maybe the Red Sox could shed salary elsewhere -- like with Masataka Yoshida -- but even if they can't, they absolutely can afford Bregman and should get a deal done before another team can.

Rosenthal mentioned the Blue Jays and the Diamondbacks. If Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette sign elsewhere, that's going to make Toronto more of a player for Bregman. If the Diamondbacks trade Ketel Marte, then they become more of a threat as well. Boston needs to act before the competition gets even more stiff.

More MLB: Red Sox Next Steps After Winning Willson Contreras Sweepstakes