Third baseman Alex Bregman entered free agency this winter as one of baseball's top available position players. Despite that, the Scott Boras client is still on the open market as spring training approaches. Could the Athletics make an unexpected play for the right-handed slugger?
Bregman spent the first nine years of his big-league career with the Houston Astros. While a return is technically still possible, it seems unlikely. The Astros have acquired Isaac Paredes in a trade to man the hot corner, along with signing Christian Walker to play first base.
The Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers appear to be the 30-year-old's likeliest landing spots. However, Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer thinks the A's could be a "surprise" landing spot.
"They signed Luis Severino and traded for Jeffrey Springs relatively early on, and recently scooped up José Leclerc on a one-year deal," Rymer wrote. "But if they were serious about getting their payroll up close to $100 million in 2025, they still have about $45 million to go. They could throw most of that at Bregman on a short-term, high-AAV deal—perhaps a carbon copy of the two-year, $62 million deal with an opt-out that Blake Snell got from the Giants last year."
Tim Britton of The Athletic projected Bregman would sign a seven-year, $189 million deal at the start of the offseason. Could he settle for a short-term deal? With the Red Sox and Tigers balking at the price despite Bregman being a clear fit, it allows an unexpected squad like the A's to potentially make a play.
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