Boston Red Sox
“He knows how I feel about him.”
Alex Cora indicated he’s done what he’s needed to do in order to help the Red Sox keep Alex Bregman in free agency.
The Red Sox manager implied that Bregman’s future is fully in his hands when he was asked where things stood with the team and the All-Star free agent at Fenway Fest on Saturday.
“You gotta ask him. The ball’s in his court,” Cora told reporters. “Obviously, we’ve been working together to see what happens. But it’s a different offseason for Alex.”
Cora’s remark was one of the first comments a member of the organization gave about Bregman following the recent news that they had made an “aggressive” offer to retain the third baseman. As expected, no one from the Red Sox explicitly stated what they’ve offered Bregman. But Cora suggested that he doesn’t necessarily feel the need to make an extra push to recruit him.
“He knows how I feel about him,” Cora said. “Last year, he checked all the boxes that I knew he was going to check, and he checked some of the boxes that some people didn’t know he was going to check. I just let him work last year. Obviously, I cannot talk about free agents straight forward, black and white, but I love the player. We love the player. We’ll see what happens.”
Cora made similar remarks earlier in the offseason, saying in October that he felt like he didn’t need to essentially recruit Bregman to stay this offseason after making a noticeable effort to help the Red Sox land him in free agency last year. But in late November, Cora said that he and Bregman had remained in contact through the first month of free agency.
Bregman’s free agency has seemed to come more into focus in recent weeks. ESPN’s Buster Olney was the first to report in early January that the Red Sox had made an “aggressive’ offer to try and retain Bregman. Around that same time, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks had been the most aggressive teams in the Bregman sweepstakes.
However, there have been some recent moves (or non-moves) that might lead the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks to be out of the chase for Bregman. Toronto signed Japanese star infielder Kazuma Okamoto earlier in the week, while the Diamondbacks reportedly plan to keep second baseman Ketel Marte amid recent trade rumors. Because of that, the Diamondbacks reportedly aren’t expected to chase a big-name free agent.
Beyond those teams, the Cubs and Tigers have been rumored to be in the mix for Bregman, who is seeking a six-year deal, The Athletic‘s Jen McCaffrey reported in December. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel recently projected that Bregman would get a five-year, $170 million deal or a six-year deal to help lower the average annual value. The Athletic projected that Bregman would get a six-year, $171 million deal entering the offseason.
Bregman, who’ll turn 32 in March, was arguably the Red Sox’ top hitter in 2025 as he earned his third All-Star nod. He hit .273 with a .821 OPS, 18 homers, and 62 RBIs in 114 games, replacing Rafael Devers at third base.
However, Bregman had some struggles in the final month of the season after missing time due to a quad injury. He hit .187 in the final 27 games of the regular season, adding two home runs with a .581 OPS in that stretch.
Still, Bregman is widely viewed as one of the few best free agents available this offseason. He opted out of the two years and $80 million remaining on his contract with the Red Sox.
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