Article: Alex Bregman Fits on This (And Any) Roster

[Caleb Kohn]

Boston's roster crunch will sort itself out, but the fact is simple: however things shake out, Alex Bregman will improve the Red Sox.

Alex Bregman’s fit with the Red Sox isn’t perfect, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a problem. While the ball is still up in the air with regard to where Bregman will be playing in the field, the addition of a proven veteran does nothing but lengthen the lineup and deepen the depth chart across the diamond.

While it remains to be seen how Alex Cora will trot out his starting nine, it would make sense for Bregman to bat second in a potential starting lineup. This would give the Red Sox the ability to break up lefties Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers. C ombine Bregman’s ability to put the ball in play, Duran’s electric ability to get on and take extra bases, and Devers’ penchant for driving in runs, and this looks like a potent top of the order.

The addition of Bregman also takes some of the pressure off Trevor Story, both in the batting lineup and the clubhouse leadership role. This may allow the veteran shortstop to focus more on staying healthy, which could have a bigger impact on the Red Sox than any other move they have made.

Bregman’s positional fit may be viewed as unconventional with the Red Sox, but manager Alex Cora has full confidence that Bregman’s ability will allow him to be able to play up the middle if necessary. If he hadn’t been blocked positionally by incumbent Jose Altuve in Houston, he likely would’ve been playing second base for the Astros during their run of seven consecutive ALCS appearances. If he was able to adjust to playing third base (and adjusted quite well, winning a gold glove in 2024), he shouldn’t have any issue sliding across the diamond to second.

While the idea of moving Devers off third base is tempting simply because Bregman is a far superior defender, sliding Bregman in at second base allows the team to keep Devers, Casas, and Yoshida on the roster and in the lineup. While all three battled inconsistencies last year, there were times when each of them was the best hitter in the lineup for a stretch. Devers is not a valuable defender, but his hitting gives him incredible value anyway. Keeping Bregman at second base allows the Red Sox to lengthen the lineup with experienced players as they push for a playoff spot. The keystone position has been a revolving door since Dustin Pedroia in went down in 2017. Hopefully, Bregman can plug that black hole and give the Red Sox the stability and leadership that they have lacked at the position for nearly a decade. 

Many Red Sox fans were excited to see the positional battles that would emerge in spring training, particularly with the opening at second base. Vaughn Grissom has a lot more to give than he was able to show in an injury-plagued 2024. Kristian Campbell has been lighting up the prospect world and is knocking on the door of the major leagues. Both are now conceivably blocked from winning the starting job out of spring training. Personally, I don’t think that this is a bad thing. Both players are young and are trying to get their feet under them at the major league level. Boston can be a pressure cooker for even the toughest of players, and it is notoriously difficult for young players who are taking their lumps while learning a new league. The addition of Bregman allows them to fill in when needed as they try to establish themselves at the major league level, without having all the pressure of contending in 2025 resting squarely on their shoulders. Bregman has been there and done that time and time again, and he can be counted on to lead a team to the playoffs. Grissom and Campbell may have that pedigree in their future, but that shouldn’t be something they have to worry about this year.

Craig Breslow even stated recently on the “Fenway Rundown” podcast, “We are incredibly excited about Kristian’s and other’s future in the organization…at the same time, I don’t think it’s fair to put so much pressure on young, unproven players…To sit here in early February and say that our only path to success this season means these young players have to shoulder significant responsibilities is probably unfair pressure.” Having a wealth of depth at the triple-A level also allows the Red Sox some flexibility in the instance of bad health. Keeping Trevor Story healthy has been a challenge and having young players who are knocking on the door gives them a reasonable solution in case Story goes down with an injury.

While adding Bregman to a team that already had a lot of moving parts might seem like a waste of money, a wealth of solid position players is the one of the best problems you can have. You don’t hear Dodgers fans bemoaning that they have too many good players to be on the field at once. This is exactly the move that we needed to get serious about contending in 2025.

View full article

[moonslav59]

YES!

These roster crunch issues are good things. We are looking at benching an .800 plus batter vs RHPs or making Rafaela a super utility guy rather than a near GG FT CF'er. We will likely be benching a pretty good defensive 2B platoon that could hit about .780 in combined splits, last year, in DHam & Romy. We may end up squeezing out Abreu, if Campbell is forced into the OF with Devers at 3B and Bregman at 2B.

These are good things to worry about.

[Caleb Kohn]

I agree. These are the problems that good teams have. For once it seem like we are not just one injury away from tanking the whole season.