The Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night achieved what they were trying to do at the start of the offseason.
They got the right-handed bat they were looking for when they reportedly agreed to a three-year, $120 million contract with veteran infielder Alex Bregman. The agreement reportedly includes two opt-outs.
But Bregman joining the Red Sox doesn’t solve all the problems. In fact, according to MLB Insider Jon Morosi, he actually creates some “major questions” for Boston to solve.
All signs point to Bregman, who played 3 bases mostly in nine seasons with the Houston Astros, with Rafael Dever, who already occupying the hot corner, moving to the Red Sox’s 2 base. However, Moroshi doesn’t believe that the plan is set on stone yet.
“What’s interesting to me will be what I’ve heard from Fort Myers over the next few days about the exact role of Alex Bregman,” Morosi told Thursday on the MLB network. “There was a lot of conversation about playing 2 base. It’s certainly an option. But he ended up playing third, then DEVERS becomes DH, or maybe it’s an additional trade. We’ll look at whether it’s DH through what it means for possibilities.”
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Bregman won the third Gold Glove honor last season, starting just two games in his second-base career. Meanwhile, Devers has the most errors in 3 bases of their careers among active players.
It feels like the Red Sox are leaning towards playing Bregman second, not overhauling the overall defensive integrity.
Another big question facing Boston, with Bregman on board, is what happens on the road to the majors due to the high-end middle infield prospects. Like Christian Campbell, who had a good shot that Morosi made the opening day roster as Boston’s first second baseman compared to two All-Star Javier Baes for “his bat electric” It looked like that.
However, if Bregman finishes second in the next three years, not just this season, the Red Sox will have to find another location in Campbell’s Diamond.
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“The question I had last night is what this means to Christian Campbell,” Morosi said. “This week I actually spoke to the scouts. He believes Christian Campbell is one of the top three outlooks in the sport. He’s the elite. …This year, Anthony has been outfielder. There is a path to play in. Also, at some point (Marcelo) Mayer and Campbell join the club at the major league level this season, depending on the health of Trevor Story, etc..”
