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Amid the ongoing changes within the Boston Red Sox's roster, there are plenty of questions over how they'll handle the MLB trade deadline. A strong end of June and July could lead Boston to buy, but struggles could lead to a major fire sale.
In the eyes of MLB.com writer Thomas Harrigan, the Red Sox have a clear top trade candidate if they fall out of contention. That player is third baseman Alex Bregman.
"We may very well see the Red Sox reverse course again," Harrigan writes. "In which case, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow could be tempted to shop Bregman to avoid potentially losing him for nothing in free agency."
Part of why shopping Bregman makes sense is that after the 2025 season, Bregman can opt out of his current deal. He signed a three-year, $120 million deal i the offseason, with an opt-out after 2025.
If the Red Sox don't believe he'll re-sign and come back, they could look to move him in a deal. There would be plenty of teams interested in Bregman, and Boston could get a huge return for the All-Star third baseman.
In 2025, before his injury, which placed Bregman on the 10-day injured list, he was hitting the ball at an incredible clip. Bregman was batting .299 with a .938 OPS and 2.9 WAR in 51 games.
He had 59 hits, 32 runs scored, 17 doubles, 11 home runs, 35 RBIs, 22 walks, and 42 strikeouts in 197 at-bats. He was on pace to surpass his season totals from the last five seasons and get back to being an All-Star for the first time since 2019.
But his injury put a stop to that. However, even with his injury, Bregman would fetch a nice return in a trade at the deadline. The only question left is whether the Red Sox will sell him or not.
After the Red Sox traded away Rafael Devers, there is reason to suspect they will also shop some of their other veteran players on expiring deals. To build a championship-contending roster in 2026 and beyond, trading Bregman in 2025 might be the best path forward.
More must-reads:
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