Red Sox Rumors on Top MLB Free Agency, Trade Targets After Bregman's Cubs Contract

After losing Alex Bregman in free agency, the Boston Red Sox have a huge hole in the lineup they need to fill going into the 2026 season.

Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the Red Sox could get involved in trade talks for one of the utility infielders on the market, like Nico Hoerner or Brendan Donovan, or possibly pursue a free-agent deal with Eugenio Suárez as a right-handed power bat.

Rosenthal also noted people briefed on Boston's thinking believe the team could take a different approach by "loading up on pitching" rather than trying to replace Bregman with an exact one-for-one type player who can slot in at third base:

"The Sox have been one of the teams talking to the Milwaukee Brewers about right-hander Freddy Peralta, who is entering his walk year. Some in the organization also are high on free-agent left-hander Ranger Suárez, whose market remains unclear. The Sox also met in person with free-agent lefty Framber Valdez in November before trading for Sonny Gray."

Bregman agreed to a five-year, $175 million contract with the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.

Rosenthal did note Donovan probably wouldn't be as appealing to the Red Sox because of the surplus of left-handed hitters already in their lineup.

Bo Bichette is another player who has also been on Boston's radar, but he is reportedly being pursued by several big-market teams at this point.

There are internal candidates for the Red Sox to try at third base if they want to focus on adding more pitchers from outside the organization.

Marcelo Mayer, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 draft, made his MLB debut last season. He struggled in 44 games, hitting .228/.272/.402, but it's such a small sample size for a player who just turned 23 on Dec. 12 that you can't write him off.

Shortstop is Mayer's natural position and would maximize his value, but MLB.com's Jim Callis noted after his call-up last season that there are some scouts who think he could be a Gold Glove-winner at third base.

There is also going to be some hope that Kristian Campbell can rebound after hitting .223/.319/.345 in 67 games as a rookie, especially since he was so highly-regarded as a prospect that the Red Sox gave him an eight-year, $60 million extension in April after he started just five MLB games.

Trading for Hoerner would be amusing because not only did the Cubs sign Bregman, but then they would get future assets from Boston in exchange for the 28-year-old.

It's also unclear if the Cubs are going to trade Hoerner because they could use him as their starting second baseman and move Matt Shaw to the bench. They could also use Shaw, who has six years of team control remaining, as a trade piece.

Even though this has been a quiet offseason for the Red Sox as far as free agency is concerned, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has been active. They have acquired Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras in separate trades with the St. Louis Cardinals, as well as Johan Oviedo from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Red Sox are looking to build on last season's 89-win campaign that saw them make the playoffs before losing to the New York Yankees in the AL Wild Card round. They haven't won a postseason series since reaching the ALCS in 2021.