Where Red Sox, Bo Bichette Stand After Alex Bregman Loss

The vibes are not high with the Boston Red Sox right now, to say the least.

The dust hasn't fully settled after Alex Bregman reportedly agreed to terms on a five-year, $175 million deal with the Chicago Cubs. The Red Sox were surely involved in the market. There's no denying that. Reports surfaced pointing towards a potential five-year, $165 million offer. But the market lingered and the Cubs had enough time to make an offer Bregman couldn't refuse.

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Two things can be true, though. It's disappointing -- and arguably a mistake -- that the Red Sox were unable to get a deal to the finish line. But on the other hand, the club has done a good job adding pieces this offseason in Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Johan Oviedo. If the team can add another high-end infielder, it will soften the blow. Unsurprisingly, Bo Bichette has been brought up as the next-best infielder available in free agency but Alex Speier of the Boston Globe didn't give much hope when discussing him.

The Red Sox need more

"But is there a (Garrett Crochet) equivalent for the Red Sox to pursue now, whether through trade or free agency? Or will this moment more closely mirror the 2022-23 offseason, when the team made the ill-fated signings of Masataka Yoshida and Kenley Jansen after Xander Bogaerts left?

"All offseason, Bregman’s free agency seemed connected to that of Bo Bichette, with the pair representing the two premier infielders on the market," Speier wrote. "As a 27-year-old, Bichette (who likely would play second base if he signed with the Sox) falls in the age range the Sox covet — but they wouldn’t be alone, making it an open question whether they’d be willing to offer him the years and dollars to consummate a deal.

"Given the reported attention Bichette is now getting from the Phillies and Yankees — two teams that consistently have outbid other teams for the players they want, in contrast to the Sox, who have consistently been outbid on long-term deals for top-of-the-market players in free agency — it’s hard to imagine the Sox setting the market for him."

If Boston were to land Bichette, that would quiet a lot of the noise. But the team hasn't shown that it is willing to shop at the top of the market for a multi-year, big-name free agent while getting a deal done. The club pursued Max Friend and Juan Soto last offseason and Pete Alonso this offseason and missed. Bichette would be a good pickup, but there isn't a lot of confidence out there right now.

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