Move Over, Alex Bregman: Why the Red Sox Should Sign Bo Bichette

[Alex Mayes]

In their latest offseason heist, the Toronto Blue Jays signed Kazuma Okamoto to a four-year contract. Frustrating though it may be to see a division rival continue to scoop up premier talents, this move likely takes them out of the Alex Bregman sweepstakes since Okamoto should slot into their starting third base role. The Jays have money to spend and are hungry to return to the World Series, so you can’t count them out on any free agent. However, with their eye on Kyle Tucker and Okamoto now signed, it seems that the Jays are preparing to move on from Bo Bichette in free agency. If that’s the case, the Red Sox have a choice to make between the two star infielders.

Is it really even a choice, though?

Technically, Bichette is a shortstop but he has told interested teams that he’s willing to change positions for the right situation. He would move to second if signed by the Red Sox, allowing Trevor Story to continue to man shortstop for the next two seasons while shifting Marcelo Mayer to third base. Mayer handled the hot corner well in a small sample size after he was called up when Bregman went down with a significant quad injury. He handeld 39 games at third, 28 of those as starts, and only committed one throwing error. An infield of Mayer, Story, Bichette, and Willson Contreras would be formidable on both sides of the ball.

Moving Bichette to second would help him overcome his defensive woes at shortstop. In 2025, he posted a -13 Outs Above Average and was in the 36th percentile in arm strength. He committed 12 errors at short, six throwing and six fielding. Moving him to second would put him on the opposite side of double plays and closer to first base. Both things should help cut down on his total errors. His range leaves something to be desired, but moving him from shortstop to second base at least removes some of the onus on him to captain the infield defense. Perhaps less responsibilities would prove a boon for his glove.

What he really brings to the table though, is an offensive player tailor-made for the Red Sox.

Bichette has led the league in hits twice in his career. He’s not your typical slugger, but he gets on base at an incredible clip; his .357 OBP was good for tenth in the American League last year, and he has the potential to crack the 30-homer mark for the first time in his career if he’s taking aim at the Green Monster for half of the season. He’s not a pure pull hitter, but even a gap-to-gap threat can rack up lots of extra-base hits at Fenway. With someone who gets on base as much as Bichette does, it puts the guys behind him in the lineup in prime positions to drive him in. Bichette can hit anywhere in the first five spots in the order, so not only is he able to put himself in scoring position, he can drive in guys in front of him, too. Offensively, he’s exactly what the Red Sox need.

Unlike Bregman, Bo Bichette allows the Red Sox to further embrace the youth movement currently going on in Boston. He adds a much-needed offensive star into the lineup and would be in Beantown for at least the next half-decade on whatever mega-contract he signs. He’s not a perfect player, and his detractors raise some valid points, but his presence would make it easy to dream on the next New England dynasty.

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